With the school year coming to an end and many camps being canceled due to COVID-19, parents are faced with new issues in keeping their children active and on track at home.
Here are some ways that families can think about their children’s needs while encouraging growth and connection during this pandemic:
Remain Flexible with Your Plans
While the structure is beneficial to children of all ages, expectations must be managed. Because we are living in a period of great uncertainty, it is more crucial than ever to ensure that everyone is healthy and well.
For all of us, this is uncharted ground. During this period, it’s critical to prioritize mental wellness. Families require a lot of grace, flexibility, and a shift in expectations as we all cope with [the epidemic] as a type of trauma.
Try Some Stress Relief Techniques
Families might benefit from completing the exercises at home together and incorporating them into their routine.
This is an easily available tool that parents can use with their children.
Appreciate Your Child's Passions
We’re learning a lot about Gen Z and Gen Alpha and their learning styles. This could be an excellent opportunity to introduce young people to new learning options.
Hands-on activities depending on your child’s hobbies, such as growing plants from seeds, learning to bake, or interviewing relatives to learn more about the family tree, are all great options.
If your child is attached to his or her smartphone, try incorporating technology into fun activities. Over Zoom, friends or family members could teach younger children a new skill.
Youngsters could use technology to contribute to a community cause.
Put Your Kids to Work at Home
As a result of the epidemic, families are dealing with low-grade stress that is always present. Setting a flexible daily routine is one method to decrease stress.
Giving kids a feeling of regularity by involving them in household duties and things they can do to help might help them feel more secure.
Expect Some Emotional Changes
Whatever your child’s stress response is, it’s going to be amplified this pandemic.
If children are prone to isolation, for example, this may occur significantly more frequently. As a result, now is a good time to give youngsters a wider berth.
It’s fine to give family members time to adjust to the ‘new normal’ in the ways that suit them best.
Embrace Boredom
Without camps or sports, children will have a boring period at home. And that’s perfectly fine.
It’s time to get creative and keep in mind that boredom is a common catalyst for children’s creativity.
This pandemic is a low-risk opportunity to explore new things, like learning a funny dance for Instagram reels or taking up rollerblading. Taking a break might assist kids who are overly scheduled or intensely focused on a sport or other activity avoid burnout.
Taking a couple of months off isn’t a bad idea. It gives them time to recover deeply—both emotionally and physically—especially if they’ve been training for years. When it’s time to get back to training, athletes typically experience a slingshot effect, and their performance can skyrocket.
We believe that this pandemic will be a time for families to reconsider how they teach and learn.
Keep in mind that play is a child’s work, especially for younger children. The absence of a worksheet does not imply that youngsters are not learning.
Families may feel bound together, yet this might be a very beneficial time to rebuild bonds. You don’t have to quit playing just because you become older.