Nivedita Mukerjee
Education consultancy for parents and schools
You are not alone with your little one during #Lockdown. Lean-in.
“Mummy I don’t like this (online) class. I can’t share this rubber (eraser) with my friend”. How can parents and teachers help this little one in her personal, social and emotional development when physical classrooms are closed?
Preschools are normally alive with the sounds of little children singing Good Morning and Hello songs… the playground abuzz with children on slides and see-saws, squealing with joy as they go on the swings and merry go rounds…Teachers with their little ones in tow going about their days with hugs and high fives… all of this has come to a screeching halt. The toys remain in their boxes. The educational aids on the shelves. The display boards have a film of dust and the artworks are curling up and fading.
Within days of the #lockdown, the internet exploded with resources and tips for creative ways of learning. The middle school and senior school teachers took to online learning and teaching. The primary school took to working on quiz and worksheets online. But, what about the preschool? The resources available online are not quite meant for early years of ages up to 8. What should a parent do? How can preschool teachers be the friend and guide to the parents to help sustain the learning and development of their young children?
Here are my 3 top considerations for teachers and parents as they lean-in on each other:
- What content is relevant now that is developmentally appropriate and student centred?
- How can the early childhood teachers and parents of young children let go of their BC (Before Corona) notions of how our children learn, and embrace the radically changed situation to re-skill and foray bravely into this new world presented to us DC (During Corona) and AC (After Corona)?
- How can both parents and teachers be sensitive to each other, those who are trying to work from and at home and teach their child/student while supporting their child’s learning and emotional needs?
Here are some of the things I know that teachers and parents have started doing:
- The teachers are trying to offer story time, song time, circle time via online classes for short duration of 10 to 15 minutes which the parent and child both can join in. It has been a relief for the parent within her/his work from home schedule when someone else they trust can takeover their child’s attention.
- The teachers are mostly trying to chat about the usual class routines that children are familiar with in starting their school day – like the weather, the day of the week, month of the year and calling out names of each child, registering them into their online class and acknowledging their presence. The yoga and/or the music and movement teacher is dropping in online for 10 minutes for them to move and stretch.
- Some of the teachers are using their classroom photos as a side window or a backdrop to convey to the children the comfort of the thought that the school and their classroom along with their teacher is still there.
- Preschool kits are being made by the teachers containing activity materials from stationery to play-dough, blocks and puzzles that are age appropriate, sanitising them and sending out in #COVID19 suited packaging that the parents can use at home.
- Preschool teachers and parents are subscribing and investing in educational aids that could come home to them so that learning remains hands on and experiential – to the extent possible.
- Teachers and parents are connecting online for short durations, one on one or grade wise, to share the concerns and finding solutions and sharing verified and vetted resources that are developmentally appropriate. Teachers are sharing the learning objectives and outcomes along with possible methods that a parent can execute at home.
- A teacher has brought out her Christmas decoration and another has brought out her Dasara dolls to show parents how to create a dramatic set for their child. One teacher has set up a classroom with stuffed toys giving them names of her students while conducting her online sessions.
- Teachers are helping parents to set out role plays centres at their homes with material available to develop the communication and imagination skills that are key for cognitive development during the early years.
- Teachers are sharing their skill of craft and art with parents via recorded video lessons that the child and/or parent can watch to learn and then share what they have created back to their classmates and teacher.
- Teachers have set up one on one chat rooms with parents to counsel them on their parenting concerns.
- Teachers are calling in children in smaller numbers onto the online platform to meet with the children and parents to communicate, teach and learn how best to approach the next session.
- The preschools are instructing publishers to send workbooks, activity materials directly to the teachers and parents to teach and use from their homes.
Learning has shifted out of our preschool buildings. Schools and teachers have not done this before! everyone is learning at the pace of crisis. Educators, especially preschool teachers are trying to figure out how to create normalcy during the time of a global reset.
Parents need to enrol their child in preschools to lean-in on the teacher and institutional expertise and the teacher has to trust and support the parent to extend learning to their child. School leadership would need to train the teachers as well as provision for educational aids for both teachers and parents.
Do share your thoughts, suggestions, photos of what you have done for your preschooler with me and the readers as your replies. Please feel free to share this post and subscribe with your email, it is free. I will continue to share the learnings from teachers, parents and my own experiences of this all new world of education.
Nivedita Mukerjee 
True insight in Early Years Education.Yes all of us are worried about how to bring the holistic education into the life of young ones.I loved the idea of teacher doing circle time online with soft toys and giving them name wonderful way of i including children into her circle time.Also making role play at home is also fantastic shall use it for my new planning of this year.
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Thanks for your feedback Sonal Chawda. Coming from an experienced early years education consultant, it ratifies my thoughts as well as what some of the teachers are trying out.
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Indeed Nov, your inputs will be a wreckoner for preschool parents.
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Thanks for your feedback Florence Bibbin. It means much especially since you have seen the best of education environments in India and abroad, besides being a very involved parent yourself.
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This is culminated so well for both parents and teachers. Thank you! Your right about the music, Dance and movement. We moved to online classes to help children stretch and dance but happy to have parents to dance along with their children and this gave us a sense of achievement as we see them bond have that moment. Our creativity also has improved abundantly by the team using stuff around the house like magazines cut outs and news papers rolled as a steering wheel of a car. It’s been a journey of learning, wearing our thinking hats, creativity, cheer and joy and much more. Currently, we are Working through and planning appropriate dances, dance moves and concept to see how children can adapt post lockdown.
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Right Kirthana Ramarapu. Music and movement would be one big way of ensuring emotional wellbeing as well as coordination, balance, motor skills of early years age group. All the best to you and your team.
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This is such an informaive to young moms n preschool teachers!!
Its really difficult to keep child engaged this time in not – going – out – situation which children love most!-
Thanks for sharing dear!
Love your pic on swing!!
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Thanks Preeti Parihar for your feedback – especially as a teacher and a mom. As for my picture on the swing – it is when the class batch had a trip to our school 🙂
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Excellent. You have covered everything in detail. Especially you have answered for most of the questions that was eating my brain. Same with my son who is reluctant to study in online classes. Will try and incorporate your ideas. Thank you
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Oh good to know Nandini. Do let me and the readers know when you have tried something and how did it go. We can continue to learn from each other’s experiences.
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Nivi bang on as usual!! Just what the educationists need right now. At the moment we are mostly fumbling in the dark. Dealing with the unknown can be pretty scary. Looking at it from a different perspective makes it exciting as one can see endless possibilities opening up. I guess the new normal will bring much needed freshness to our educational systems. We probably needed this jolt to get out of the rut.
Cheers to happy times ahead.
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Jennifer Rocque! you are the quintessential educator. Optimist and open to learning. I believe so too that one industry that will hugely benefit from a re-think is education. We will be better educators and get more involved parents to partner in their child’s education. Schools as we know will transform hard and fast.
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Thank you ma’am……its another enriching article from you……As a preschool teacher .its difficult to engage them .You have always helped and motivated me .I often look forward to read your post and learn from it. Thank you and keep posting.
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Year 2020, is going to be a very important year in everyone’s life. Let the young ones have pleasant memories and this article describes, how exactly it can be ensured!
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Nivedita, you have given such useful tips. You have covered every aspect needed for a pre schooler to go back to school at home. I really loved the idea of having stuffed toys with names of children from the class. My granddaughter Aanya a first grader studying in Phoenix, gets work online to do. She loves doing her work, but the most exciting time for her is when she gets to see her friends and teacher once a week. Sadly they don’t have virtual sessions everyday.
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Agree! Teachers can not mimic a hard classroom while teaching young ones virtually. Time to chuck activity ridden lesson plans and prioritize connection and the relationship between teacher and child and between children. So yes – songs, stories, rhymes and finger plays are the way to go. Good luck to all the fab EC Teachers out there who are working hard as ever in making a relationship based curriculum happen.
Unprecedented times indeed!
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The most dominant question now, AC (your term), is “Do Schools need the large buildings and estates they have acquired / built, given that they can engage the students online?”
Trust you all are keeping well.
With best regards
Debashish Bhattacharyya +919810109684
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Pardon my senior moments . I had read your post but missed responding .
So glad you addressed this issue .So many questions coming up about online teaching for pre -schoolers .
It is indeed a huge challenge and it is important to plant the seeds of early independence .
Your well thought of and practical ideas are brilliant and will help early childhood educators to plan their learning engagements !
Online teaching is the future of education across the board . And it has spear headed with the situation today .
A close friend of mine Dr Anant Agarwal ( CEO of EdX ) says if children cannot come to the classroom , take the class room to them .
Loved the idea “ Lean-in “.. the 3 vital considerations so beautifully put as only you can !
Very very informative post ❤️😘🥰
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