Independent learners: Always ‘yes’ to teaching something new

Be it household chores, cooking or baking, Mdm Parveen M K chose to agree each time her Primary 3 daughter wanted to learn something new during the time she was home during Home-Based Learning.

This story is part of our series of 7 parent reflections on the impact of this extraordinary year on our children. By Neo Wen Tong.

---

Every parent knows that it is usually easier and faster to do things like household chores yourself, instead of getting a nine-year-old to help. But during the circuit breaker period, whenever her Primary 3 daughter Amelia Sudha showed an interest in trying something new around the house, Mdm Parveen said yes.

“Before COVID-19, we had a helper, and Amelia didn’t have to help much. One day, she saw me vacuuming and offered to help, but she didn’t know how. I said, ‘Yes, come, I’ll teach you’. And after she managed to do the task, I showed my appreciation and thanked her for her help. I think it made her continue to want to learn more,” says Mdm Parveen M K. 

Amelia subsequently asked to join Mdm Parveen in the kitchen to learn to bake and cook her favourite dishes, like vanilla cupcakes, egg pudding and banana walnut cake. 

This desire to learn new things extended to learning about topics that were not in the school syllabus as well. “Amelia really likes animals, so she used her free time to watch animal videos and do quizzes online. She taught me about the megalodon (an extinct species of shark) one evening. I didn’t even know what that was before!” Mdm Parveen shares.

Family bonding over a game of Jenga

“She’s learning to be independent – for example, when using the computer, and doing tasks around the house. I realise that I can monitor from a distance and give her space to explore. But of course, I will always be here for her if she needs help.”