Triveni Goswami Vernal
(Registered Special Educator CRR: A64010)

The previous blog (https://specialsaathi.com/2025/09/04/diverse-educational-settings-for-individuals-with-learning-differences-in-india/) looked at the various educational options available for individuals with learning differences in India and Homeschooling was one option, that was touched upon briefly.

This blog will look at what Homeschooling actually involves and what steps can be taken by the parents/caregivers to ensure that the child has a holistic development, despite staying at home. The author will also share inputs from her homeschooling journey.

1) ASSESSMENT: The child should undergo an assessment first, to understand what the child’s present level of functioning is, on various skills. This can, not only help the parent /caregiver create a more appropriate educational plan for the child, keeping in mind the child’s abilities but also understand where the child stands vis a vis the pre-requisite skills for each of the concepts to be taught. For example, if the parent wants to work on numeracy skills, some of the pre-requisite / pre-numeracy skills that the child should be aware of, are the concepts of Classification (sorting by attributes), Big & Small, Above & Below, Long & Short, Before & After, Size, Shape, Colour, Position, One to One Correspondence (Matching items) etc.

2) CHOOSING A CURRICULUM: There are several options available these days. One can opt for Online Schools, or the NIOS board or follow any curriculum individually based on the child’s interest and abilities. Using Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AACs) devices wherever possible, is advisable especially if the child is non-speaking, minimally speaking or is an unreliable speaker. Introducing Typing as an alternative to writing or using both, can also help the child navigate the learning materials, better. The parents/caregivers also need to create adapted resource materials to simplify the learning materials based on the child’s skill levels. There are a plethora of websites one can subscribe to, for ready made resources and worksheets. Some websites that I use for homeschooling are as follows:

https://edqueries.com
http://twinkl.co.in
https://in.ixl.com
https://www.k5learning.com
https://www.learningresources.co.uk

One can also download the syllabus (for whatever level of education one chooses to work on) for NIOS from the NIOS website:
https://nios.ac.in/online-course-material.aspx

NCERT also has a website from which all their textbooks across the grades can be downloaded:
https://ncert.nic.in/textbook.php

Besides these, there are Workbooks on Math, English and EVS available from various publishers these days, that are available for various grades, starting from kindergarten onwards. For example, Oswaal One for All Workbook (based on CBSE). There are workbooks based on the NCERT syllabus as well. One can always hire teachers or special educators to work with the child at home.

3) STRUCTURING A TIMETABLE FOR THE DAY: This is important to get the child into a schedule. The daily routine should include specific time frames for waking up, getting ready, having breakfast, engaging in work time, having lunch, attending therapies (if any), leisure activities/play, physical activities/sports, ADLs, dinner and bed time.  One need not work for 4-5 hours continuously but one can structure the day with 1-2 hours of academic teaching along with other learning activities that target Visual Perception, Memory, Sensory based activities etc. A few websites that I use for Visual Perception are:

Jigsaw Puzzles:https://www.jigsawplanet.com/

Word Search Puzzles: https://thewordsearch.com/
                https://api.razzlepuzzles.com/wordsearch

4) PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES: A typical day should also include time for exercise, physical activities / sports (in whatever form the child is most comfortable with)—it could be running, jumping on a trampoline, playing in a park, walking, cycling, swimming, skating or any other physical activity, that could help the child expend their energy.

5) LEISURE ACTIVITIES: One should also provide time for leisure activities, that could include reading books/ even simply browsing through books or magazines, watching programs on a device, listening to music, creating art (or doodling/scribbling/colouring) or engaging in a craft, singing, dancing, or even engaging in play (in any form…water play, sensory based play, pretend play) etc.

6) PROVIDING AMPLE BREAKS in between, to decompress and regulate themselves by engaging in their chosen forms of activity/ies.

7) ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING (ADLS): One should also introduce several life skills, that can contribute towards their independent living, later on, in life. These could include activities such as personal hygiene (bathing, toilet training)/grooming (combing their hair, cutting their nails, wearing clean clothes etc), washing the dishes, laying the table, cleaning the house (dusting/mopping/sweeping etc), washing their own clothes and laying out to dry, cutting fruits and vegetables (initially under supervision), cooking a basic meal (initially without the use of a stove, and always under supervision) etc.

Thus, we see that Homeschooling is not a singular activity, focusing only on academics but includes a wide range of activities that can contribute to the overall development of the child. It is also very important that the child be taken out from time to time, to various places for exposure. This includes visits to a mall, the cinema, the zoo, art galleries/planetarium/museum/science park, nature parks, going on vacations, visiting social gatherings (even if its for brief periods of time) etc. Homeschooling need not be boring but how one prepares the day’s schedule and how exciting and engaging the activities are, can make learning fun for all, involved.
**************

Author Dr.Triveni Goswami Vernal

Dr.Triveni Goswami Vernal is a Registered Special Educator (CRR: A64010), a Psychologist and an Expressive Arts Therapy Practitioner (UNESCO-CID). She is an Avaz Certified Educator and Certified in Dyslexia Teacher Training. She is also an art educator for children with additional needs.

“Purple and Red Flower”
Acrylic Painting on Watercolour Paper
Kabir Vernal