Tips on self-development while parenting

Lifelong education is possible for parents

Lifelong education is necessary in order to survive in a fast-paced job market with shifting technological changes, mobility and innovative services. A short definition of life-long education is development that is ongoing and self-motivated after formal education. This can include knowledge and skills that we acquire for professional and/or personal goals after formal schooling has ended. Examples of new skills include a foreign language, deepening your computer science skills, learning to teach a specific skill, joining a master class in photography or story-telling, to name a few. While lifelong education helps us adapt to the environment we are in, it facilitates our competitiveness and fulfils our need to learn new things, it can be challenging once you become a parent.

What is fundamental about life-long learning is that it there is not a specific place such as a school, where it takes place and there is no specific time that the acquired skills can be applied. Life-long learning can take place at home, in community spaces and private centres, outdoors, etc. Skills can be learned and applied throughout life, and not just during the formal school years. This makes it easy for adults such as parents, people shifting careers, senior citizens and many others in different stages of their life to find solutions for personal and professional growth.

Learning a new language is one aspect of self-development that can be undertaken successfully later in life, as recent research has proven. Furthermore, a move to a new country for example is a strong reason to learn the spoken language of the city you just moved to. Integrating with the community or even finding a job are just few reasons that lifelong learning is considered more necessary than ever. New parents have to deal with all of this while raising kids and keeping them safe all the time. It sounds challenging because it is but it doesn’t have to be.

10 Reasons on why to learn a foreign language? Click here

How easy is it to start studying as an adult?

The key is to have will power. However, the fact that adult education and lifelong learning involve an age group full of responsibilities makes it very hard to find the time. All new parents have a morning job and childcare duties at their “free time” and in the afternoons. This means that adult education needs to be organized differently.

New mothers often feel like they have no personal time, between taking care of kids and the household, leaves little time to even do the basics. This makes it much harder to consider taking up a new class or to continue one they took previously. These barriers make it difficult to access all types of educational programs. By living close to home there is help from friends and family to support you in moments like these. When moving to a new country though, you are basically on your own trying to make everything workout without or little 3rd party support.

What can new moms do?

This is where professionals of adult education step in and offer help by making adult lessons more eligible and parent- friendly. This is achieved by offering childcare during class time or offer online courses. This way new moms don’t have to give up their favorite activities or courses, and as a consequence find some self-development time away from family obligations.

You will find useful tips that offer solutions to this problem that include courses where you can combine your kids' studying time with your own.

Learning a new language in a classroom with child-care next door at Wordculture in Zurich

Wordculture offers a variety of flexible langugage courses for adults and kids in parallel. There are tailor made programs for adults interested in taking the TELC exams from A1 to C2 in a large range of languages such as German, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese and Russian. Professionals who would like to become familiar with the corporate ‘speak’ in German for business (B1 and B2) and Swiss-German classes can become part of a hybrid class where lessons can be attended both on-site and remotely.

Learning a new language within an online classroom or with a private teacher

Another popular quarantine solution is doing online courses while the baby sleeps, or when commuting takes up too much precious time. At Wordculture hybrid classes allow to be flexible in joining group and private classes through a hybrid system of online and in-person classes.

Part-time Courses

Another solution for parents who have limited time to devote to studying is to enroll in a course on a part time basis. This may make your graduation time a bit longer but it is a good way to manage a lot of different things by not drastically changing your routine. Part time courses are usually fewer hours during every week and have afternoon or weekend classes that make them even better for working moms.

Online Creative Courses

Stay creative in performing arts, visual arts, music production, theater, product design and many more creative skills, with a subscription at Monthly. The objective of each class is to help you rediscover the joy of learning and creating.

When learning something new, it is important to see it as an opportunity, to be positive and try to enjoy yourself. This will allow you to acquire new knowledge and skills while taking a break from your daily grind.