Home Learning For Preschoolers Is A Helpful Concept: Sayali Bhagat

Preschoolers can be a difficult lot to handle for parents, especially when it comes to the subject of learning. The existing status quo is one where schools are in shutdown mode and work from home has become the new normal. Parents now have an added responsibility to care for and ensure that the learning process for their children is not derailed by the pandemic. Throw in a working parent to the mix and the situation does seem overwhelming. Doubts start to creep into the minds of parents and the road ahead may seem arduous.

In this situation, home learning has emerged as a great option for preschoolers. A view that is advocated by Sayali Bhagat, former Miss India World and Bollywood actress. In a candid chat with Parent Circle, she shares her views on a number of topics including her professional and parenting journey so far, spending time with her little one during the lockdown, tips for parents, and her views on home learning for preschoolers.

1. The journey from Miss India to motherhood must have been an interesting one. Tell us all about it.

I have embraced several roles in life - winning the prestigious Miss India pageant, entering the world of movies, getting married, and now this wonderful phase of motherhood. No one role has been identical, with each role posing its own set of challenges. For instance, my journey after winning Miss India has been totally contradictory to the one I experienced after I became an actor.

After marriage, I chose to take a sabbatical from movies due to overwhelming changes taking place in my life. I wanted to focus and accord privacy to my marriage.

However, the highlight of my journey has been that of motherhood. This phase put all my learnings to test. Motherhood has been immensely rewarding and stimulating because you experience nothing but pure joy in loving another person with a level of intensity you thought you could not. You would go to any extent to see as smile on your baby's face. When Ivankaa was an infant, I experienced many sleepless nights along with issues such as losing post-partum weight and getting back to shape. In the end, it was a challenging but fun journey for me.

2. Did you feel, at any point, during this journey, that you had to comprise one role in favour of another?

I feel that when one becomes a mother, other roles like that of a wife and a daughter take a backseat. My parents live in a different city and I feel I should be spending more time with them and they should be spending quality time with their granddaughter. There have been times when they insist on a video call or request for more pictures of Ivankaa. However, for me, teaching Ivankaa to be independent, giving her freedom to do certain things are priority. So, other roles go down in the priority list.

3. How significant is motherhood for a woman?

For me, there are many things that I have, either consciously or subconsciously, picked up and learnt during motherhood. My experience as an actor proved useful as my dancing and acting skills helped to deal with my daughter in certain situations. Things I learnt in school and later in college combined with the way I was handled by teachers and my parents also helped a lot.

Motherhood tests your abilities every single day. Every successful outcome of different methods you employ while raising a child is an accomplishment. I experienced many challenges during the initial phase of motherhood and these successful outcomes added to my happiness.

4. You took a career break after giving birth. Was it a conscious choice or one that was dictated by existing circumstances?

Taking a sabbatical from work after I had given birth to Ivankaa was totally a conscious choice. I wanted a part of my upbringing to reflect on my child. During my growing up years, my parents raised me by giving me undivided attention and total priority over everything.

So, I wanted to give my daughter the same treatment during the crucial first six years of her life. Before school, I wanted to spend quality time with her give her all my time and attention.

5. Will you be a working mother now that a return to films is in the offing? If so, as a working mother, what challenges do you anticipate?

I want to be a working mother as I want to return to doing films along with other industry-related activities such as production, direction, or modelling. I understand it is not going to be a cakewalk as there have been occasions when I had to work an entire day or not been able to return home since I was away on a different city. It has broken my heart as I miss Ivankaa terribly.

However, I do realise that this is a major challenge for me and apart from balancing it all, I try to raise my daughter the way I want. Having said that, in these three years, I have set the foundation right for her for the future. Secondly, I wish to set an example for her to pursue her dreams wholeheartedly.

6. Do you believe roles dry up for actresses who become mothers in Bollywood?

Maybe yes... If you are looking at the same cliched running around the bush and dancing roles. Thankfully, the industry is evolving and today it's not just restricted to the silver screen. Now, there are other mediums like digital platforms and prospects that have the scope for one to play a female lead without just having to be a glamour girl. I am glad that I am a part of this era where you can do so much more without limiting yourself to a particular fixed role.

7. How are you spending time with your daughter during the lockdown?

The beginning of the lockdown was very hard without any house help-we were all trying to figure out our new routines. Our pre-pandemic life was all about going to the playschool, park and play areas, having play dates and spending time with family. We gradually got used to the stay-at-home situation and now, we have replaced our outings with creative crafts, taekwondo (a Korean martial art), family yoga and reading. The lockdown has brought my family closer together-we're regularly connecting virtually with our extended family and friends. My daughter is enjoying this phase a lot, and no longer misses her playschool.

8. What inspired you to choose Ivankaa as your daughter's name?

We were advised our numerologist that our baby's name should start with the letter 'I'. We researched and narrowed down on a couple of options where we came across the name Ivankaa and fell in love with it. Ivankaa means God's gracious gift and we felt this name was apt for our daughter.

9. What is Ivankaa's current favourite activity?

Ivankaa takes a lot of interest in art and craft-she dedicates at least an hour a day to it. She is showing a lot of interest in origami and has just got the hang of cutting, using child-safe scissors. She loves making colourful butterflies ... with the onset of the monsoons, paper boats have become her favourite. She enjoys cutting out small shapes, and can spend even the whole day drawing, colouring or creating paper craft! As a parent, I could not be happier because this is a great way to keep her occupied.

10. What do you think about home learning for preschoolers? Many parents are going opting for that route now.

I think home learning is a great option for preschoolers. And this year, we have no choice but to embrace home schooling. I find home schooling interesting because it allows parents to let their children learn at their own pace. With Ivankaa, we have made the most of this lockdown. We have managed to finish her entire preschool curriculum during this time. We don't want to rush with her learning ... so now, we let her do fun activities and we revise her preschool course every now and then.

11. What are your thoughts on 'learning for children' as a concept?

No matter the many positives put in favour of the traditional method of learning, the times have changed. Parents no longer emphasize the child making use of memory and concentrating solely on the syllabus. In fact, most parents these days prefer holistic learning where kids learn concepts logically and use them.

However, I do think that our Indian standard of the curriculum is quite interactive and effective. Teaching children may vary from parent to parent. I strongly believe that our country is doing exceptionally well in terms of education and it makes me proud that my daughter's early education is going to happen in our country.

12. Is Navneet a hands-on father?

Not only is Navneet a hands-on father, he is the perfect friend for our baby. Often, while mentioning about her best buddies, Ivankaa mentions her father since they share an easy-going relationship. I am glad that she relates to him as a friend and can freely open up to him for anything. Their budding relationship is heart-warming and brings much joy to me.

13. Is there any one tip that you would want to give to young parents when it comes to handling a newborn or a toddler?

I would suggest all parents of newborns to have an immense amount of patience. As parents, we always wish to see the desired results with respect to the way we train our kids, like eating properly, sleeping on time, or making them get accustomed to a new change happening around them. This requires a lot of persistence and tenacity on the part of the parents.

During the initial stages of my parenthood, it took a while for me to get a hang of the changes around me but after a year I did get to see the results. Following a persevering approach with your kids will help parents overcome all the parental hurdles. Hence upholding endurance while you deal with your kids is one advice I would like to give to young parents.