This is a partnered post.
The coronavirus and Covid-19 pandemic has impacted all of our lives. This has been a major world event that is still ongoing and that has seen countless facets of day to day living altered. If you’re lucky enough to have avoided the virus and its health consequences itself, you may still have been impacted by job loss, financial difficulty, changes to your working setup and more. But if you have kids, you also have them to worry about during these difficult times too! Of course, we’re always going to put our little ones’ needs first and these times can be scary for them too! Of course, the pandemic is going to be tough. But there are a number of things you can do to make it as bearable as possible for your little ones. Here are a few different areas to focus on for the time being!
Knowing How to Talk to Your Children About the Pandemic
Let’s start out with one of the first issues many of us are finding with little ones and the pandemic – how to talk to you children about the pandemic. When we speak to one another about the pandemic, we’re all clearly aware of the severity and tragic nature of coronavirus, Covid-19 and their consequences. But how do you convey this to children without scaring them or causing other emotional damage? With schools closing, clubs and other social activities becoming out of bounds and various other changes commencing in day to day life, this situation isn’t something that children will be unaware of. So how do you explain it to them? Well, first and foremost, you need to make sure that they know that it’s okay to be concerned and that they should come to you with all of their worries. They are going to see uncertainty all around them, so go through how they’re feeling rather than attempting to sweep this under the carpet. Make sure that they know that even though bad things are happening, their biggest fears and concerns are unlikely to come true. Emphasise that there are scientists and doctors around the world working to resolve this situation and that it won’t last forever. Avoid offloading your own worries and fears onto them.
Managing Their Education While Schools are Closed
Many schools are closing for periods of time during this pandemic. Whether that’s because your local government have deemed that schools need to be temporarily closed during peak times of transmission, or whether your children have been sent home to isolate for two weeks because someone in their class has tested positive, this is something that most of us are likely to experience at some point or another. Of course, when your child is missing time from school, you’re bound to feel a little worried that they may fall behind. Here are some steps you can take to help manage their education while they’re at home.
Reduce Pressure
First and foremost, you need to make sure that you reduce pressure on yourself and your children while they are off school. Sure, during regular times, your child may fall behind the rest of their class if they were missing school regularly or for extended periods of time. But what’s important to remember right now is that everyone is in the same boat. Your child taking time off now will simply be caught back up with the rest of their class once everyone returns. Times are stressful and people are understanding. When schools reopen, all of the children will be on the same page and setting back off from the same point.
Look Up Your Child’s Curriculum
If you do want to educate your little one with their time off school, you can always look up their current curriculum and can help to introduce them to some of the things they’d be learning at school if they weren’t having to take time off. Contact your school and ask for advice. They’ll be able to let you know what curriculum your child is studying (different schools often follow different plans) and can also give advice on teaching them from home.
Use All Resources Available
There are countless free online resources available too! This can make learning from home straightforward and fun for you kids. Whether that’s educational Youtube videos for their age group, puzzle games, online books or anything else. Just make sure to check all content before showing it to them and to supervise any time spent online. Protective filters can be added to your internet connection to block any inappropriate or age restricted content while they learn this way.
Set Your Own Tests
Kids tend to enjoy testing their new skills and knowledge. So don’t forget to set them tests and challenges while they’re at home. Basic spelling and maths tests are easy to create, or you can find them online. Not only will this challenge them and keep their minds occupied, but it can help to validate and check their knowledge, giving you a chance to rectify any mistakes.
Use This as an Opportunity for Alternative Education
You may want to use this time to teach your little one skills they may not get as much time to practice at school and in the classroom. You may want to teach them how to complete age appropriate tasks around the house, such as supervised cooking or cleaning tasks. You might want to teach them about taxes, finances and money management if they are old enough. You may want to let them choose something that interests them and delve into the topic with them.
Encouraging Them to Pick Up Hobbies
Remember that your kids are likely to be pretty bored right now – especially if they’re off school. Like everyone else, they’re going to be pretty limited in what they can do compared to usual. They can’t spend time playing with their friends. They can’t attend their usual clubs and groups. They may be likely to start playing up and misbehaving as a result of sheer boredom right now. But this doesn’t have to be the case. There are plenty of hobbies that they can try out from home and that could keep them occupied and happy for hours on end. The type of hobby to suggest will depend on your child and their interests. It may take a few tries to find something that they really like, but it will be more than worth the time and financial investment once you find something that they love. Some ideas could include:
- Baking (supervised by an adult)
- Gardening (supervised by an adult)
- Arts and crafts
- Reading
- Home based sports and exercise
- Singing
- Dancing
Helping Them to Keep In Touch
If you’re missing anyone in your life who you aren’t able to see right now, remember that your little ones may feel the same about their friends and family members too! When you’re an adult, it’s a little easier to keep in touch with people. You have your own social media accounts. You have your own phone. You can send your own messages and make your own calls. But kids can’t necessarily do all of these things. So, it’s important that you take it upon yourself to help them keep in touch with people they want to. Supervise calls or video chats to their friends, so they can chat and catch up. Make sure they can talk with family members over the phone or video chat too. A weBoost verizon cell phone signal booster can help to ensure that your connection remains strong. This will all help to prevent them from feeling lonely or isolated.
Establish Boundaries While You Work
If your children are not in school and you are working from home, you’re going to have to find a way to strike a balance between caring for them and getting your work done. Of course, if your children are too young to occupy themselves, you will have to talk to your employer to find a flexible way of working that will allow you to care for your little ones and work while they are sleeping. But if your children are older and able to occupy themselves while you work, you will need to set boundaries to ensure that they are cared for properly while you still manage to get through your own tasks. It’s a good idea to provide them with a number of things to do throughout the day. While they are occupied with that, you can work nearby. Request that they keep noise low and that they only interrupt you if they need something. They shouldn’t be interrupting for casual chat and games.
As you can see, there are a number of different things you’re going to need to focus on to make this pandemic as easy as possible to get through for your children. This may feel like a big responsibility, but it’s something that many of us are having to deal with right now and, hopefully, some of the above advice will come in useful for you and your family!
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