A newborn child spends almost all of his or her time at home till around the age of three after which the time spent at home decreases to some 18 hours a day. Given that formal schooling and extracurricular activities take up to six to eight hours a day, there is a minimum of 10 hours daily left after the age of three and six hours till the age of 18 for informal education at home.

Informal education up to three years of age is fundamental for the healthy growth of the child. It lays the foundation for formal school education. Informal home education after the age of three is mandatory to support formal school education.

Every newborn has the power of observation, perception, comprehension, recognition, remembering, critical thinking, curiosity, exploration, innovation, improvisation, decision making and creativity that enables the young ones to unravel the secrets of nature provided they are given the right environment of freedom and guidance. The potential of children at such a young age offers a great opportunity for building a solid foundation for primary, secondary and higher education.

Furthermore what could be a more desirable teacher-student relationship than the mutual love of a mother and child that will make learning a most enjoyable and effective process. With a little guidance, parents, mothers particularly, can nurture the great potentials of their children right from the beginning.

The cognitive knowledge of children grows faster while interacting with their surroundings. The closest surrounding is home of course with the mother, father, siblings and everyone else along with the objects in the house. A good example of developing cognitive knowledge is learning of the mother tongue, the best example of  successful self-learning. The more the number of people in a house to interact with the infant, the higher the speed of developing his or her vocabulary will be.

Taking children along for shopping, traveling and social functions also provides great opportunities for interactive learning. Taking them to musical functions in particular promotes their appeciation for music. Similarly, children can learn a lot from playing both indoor and outdoor games with their siblings, cousins and neighbours. Computer games can help too with some supervision of course. Most children  become fluent speakers, listeners, readers and simple math problem solvers with little help before the school-going age.

Children are great self-learners. But the secret of a child’s learning lies in freedom and empowerment. As the children grow they should be encouraged to make their own choices such as selecting clothes and shoes for themselves according to the occasion or the kind of food they would like to eat for instance. Choosing their own friends and taking up other pastimes will later help them feel confident enough to make other bigger choices such as what jobs they would like to apply for or picking a profession once they grow up.

Cleanliness is a habit that must develop from an early age. How to use the toilet, clean and wash themselves before and after eating, how to keep food and drinks covered to protect it from flies and dirt, how to keep their toys clean, take daily baths and wear clean and nice clothes are habits that must be inculcated from childhood. Tell your children not to throw rubbish just about anywhere instead of disposing it off in in a dustbin, put their dirty clothes in a dirty clothes basket and keep their desks and room tidy and clean. Accompany these instructions with explanations about how the effort will protect them from infections and will be aesthetically desirable and admirable due to which they will feel good about themselves.

Homes generally have no written rules for children to follow, but it is essential to impose certain dos and don’ts such as not to hurt or harm themselves or others, not to lie, not to steal, not to deceive, not to take what belongs to someone else, not to shout or use bad language, not to be rude to anyone, not to become impatient, not to fight, not to break promises, not to remain dirty or untidy, not to sneeze or cough in someone else’s face, etc. Implementing these unwritten rules will allow the development of self-awareness, self-reliance, self-esteem, self-respect, self-effacement and self-discipline in the child that can steer him or her through many difficult situations in life with successful outcomes.

Once a child enters school, the parents must play an active role in supporting his or her formal education. They should also realise that after six hours of schooling, the child is out of the control and influence of the school for the remaining 18 hours. Then they have at least six clear hours a day at their disposal to assist the child to spend the time appropriately.

A regular pattern of participation in games and hobbies is necessary for helping the child’s mind and body to grow. Parents should meet the nutritional needs of the child to allow healthy growth. Similarly, they should be allowed adequate time to do their homework along with a bit of extra reading. Apart from this, every child will need time for relaxation, sports, entertainment, watching television and going on excursions. All these activities need to be organised in collaboration with the child.

Children are prone to pick up bad habits from other children. It is always desirable to keep an eye on the company they keep after school hours. Bad habits such as smoking, drug addiction and immoral conduct come easy in teenage years. The parents must maintain a close, frank and friendly relationship of trust and confidence with their children.

Since the child spends six hours in school, there is also a need for close cooperation and collaboration with the teachers and the school administration. Parents have to make it a point to respond to requests from schools for teacher-parent meetings. They should keep a close watch on their children’s progress in the school. The parents can be a great help to the school in settling inevitable emotional problems or discipline issues of their children that may arise from time to time. Besides their cooperation in school will enhance the potential of the school in imparting good education.

It will also be useful if the school administration holds several briefing sessions with parents of newly-admitted children particularly if one or both the parents happen to be illiterate. The involvement of relevant teachers, child psychologists and student counselors in these sessions will be highly beneficial.

It is the responsibility of the family in general, and parents in particular, to lay a solid foundation of education at home to help the child pursue a fortifying formal education in his or her school years till he or she is mature enough to steer his or her own boat towards a predetermined destination.

The age of young adulthood also requires  some guidance. Of course the children must be provided freedom to the extent that they can find their own interests, identify their own potentials and pursue their own goals with enthusiasm and resilience. The parents at this time are only expected to provide them with a kind of umbrella that will protect them from hazards and prevent them from losing track.

The writer is professor emeritus at Khyber Medical University, Peshawar