There aren’t many people in the world that truly understand world-schooling or what it is. Imagine growing up not in a regular community, but all over the world. Imaging seeing more of the world at the age of 5 than most people in the world see when they retire. Our planet is a beautifully diverse and complex world with so much to see and experience. That’s one of the reasons why more and more people are turning to world-schooling as a way to travel with their children yet still keep them educated.
World-schooling is a complex subject and there’s a lot that goes into it. You will need to plan ahead and be prepared to leave behind friends and family for a life of travel. Some people would scoff at the idea of not taking their children to a regular school, but for anyone looking for an alternative way to educate their children, world-schooling is a brilliant option.
Defining What World-Schooling Is
World-schooling doesn’t yet have a set-in-stone description. World-schooling is what you define it, but the basic concept is that your children live and learn from the world instead of being taught in a class. This might come with some serious concerns especially if you aren’t confident in teaching your children. It also takes away the opportunity your children have of making childhood friends, especially if you’re planning on travelling for an extended period of time, or never settling down at all.
As a result, it’s important to take care of your initial concerns first. Do you really think that world-schooling is the best option for you, or will you settle down eventually? Perhaps you’ll wait until your child is a little older before you decide to take them on a trip around the world, or maybe you’ll throw caution to the wind and let them experience the world as it is.
Take Care of Essentials First
First, you need to take into consideration how your children will be growing up and learning. Some people prefer to take textbooks with them on the road, and others like to use personal experiences and knowledge to teach their children. While learning through experience is an admirable approach, it’s important to remember that you need to teach your child basics such as maths and language skills.
If possible, make sure you get some early learning textbooks or educational resources that are suitable for their age. Many people choose to world-school their children after they learn basics like their language, how to spell and how to do basic maths. World-schooling isn’t just fun and games; you need to be able to teach your children in addition to letting them experience more of the world.
You also need to worry about accommodation. It’s a lot easier nowadays because you can look for hostels or family-sized 3 bedrooms apartment for rent. There’s plenty of choices when it comes to accommodation, but be sure to take care of this before you move or switch locations. The last thing you want is to be stranded in the middle of nowhere with your family, or be forced to pay for expensive tourist accommodation.
Keep it Steady
You never want to rush ahead with world-schooling. For starters, make sure you look up a destination to visit before you go all-in. You could visit a place like Southeast Asia or South America on a summer holiday with your kids before investing in an apartment or moving temporarily to that location. Rushing into world-schooling with your kids will only make it feel forced.
You also don’t want to force your kids to study specific subjects that they aren’t ready for, especially when it comes to cultural or traditional subjects. Schools typically teach things like social studies, and they’re a great way to train your kids how to act around others. Unfortunately, since your child will be exposed to many different cultures, it may become difficult for them to identify who they are.
In short, when world-schooling you need to take it steady. Children can learn things extremely quickly and they’re heavily influenced by their surroundings when growing up. Don’t try to force your children to study or learn something they don’t want to, and consider waiting for them to grow up a little before you take them around the world.
Funding Your Travels
You also need to think of a way to fund your travels. If you’re going to be travelling around the world, then it’s a good idea to secure a source of income so that you don’t need to return home too often and so you won’t run out of cash.
The first option is to find work in the countries that you visit. It could be something simple such as working as a bartender, or it could be something that affects children such as becoming a teacher of your native tongue. English teachers are really common in other countries, making it an incredibly simple and lucrative way to make a living while travelling. Picking up teaching skills also makes it easier for you to teach your own child, so you get double the benefit.
Another way of making a living while travelling is having your own business, preferably something that can relate to your travels. For example, some people make a living off travelling and blogging. Since you’ll be world-schooling your children, it can be a fantastic subject to blog about and your main source of income will be from affiliate links and advertisements. There are other ways to make a living while you travel, but make sure your source of income is stable enough to sustain your travels.
Final Words
World-schooling is a fantastic way to bring up your children. They’ll be exposed to more countries, more cultures and more traditions than most children their age. It can completely change the way they approach life, but it’s not easy to do and requires a lot of dedication from you as well. The worst thing you can do is force your children to travel because you want to, so make sure that everyone in your family is onboard with the idea before you head off into the world.