This pandemic has left none of the age groups unharmed, be it physically or emotionally; but the most vulnerable group we have in the society is children other than senior citizens. While this pandemic has taught us to take utmost care and precautions of staying physically fit, we cannot overlook the importance of the emotional well-being of our young ones.
In the present scenario, with most of the families being affected with Covid-19, parents keeping busy with their work from home and non-availability of house helpers at home, children are often neglected unintentionally. With early summer break announced, they have also lost the option to keep themselves busy in online classes. Something which crawls upon easily is the negativity that is abundantly present in today’s day-to-day life; right from the sources like news channels to social media. We as adults are striving to cope up with it but the worst sufferers are the young minds who unwillingly get to hear unpleasant news staying indoors 24X7. Hence, it is alarming and also requires attention from all the parents to watch out for any symptoms where your child doesn’t behave the way he or she used to be! What best works is to form a schedule for them that will keep them constructively engaged! Sharing quite a few ideas which will help our young minds come out of this negativity and boredom.
Beginning day with positive thought and prayer
As it’s rightly said, ‘One small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day,’ ask them to note down one positive quote every day. It is surely going to bring a smile to their faces, help them with the meaning if they ask! The power of prayer is inevitable and we need to teach them the same, spend some time helping them to read religious scriptures, and make sure to let them know the meaning of those too!
Include Yoga and Aerobics
Where yoga keeps us physically fit with few stretching exercises and breathing techniques, aerobics and dancing to our favorite tunes releases chemicals called endorphins. It triggers a positive feeling in the body and reduces stress.
Assist them in completing holiday home tasks
Holiday home tasks should not be considered as a burden of completing tasks rather they should learn to enjoy it while doing! It has been so designed that gives them a lot to observe and explore, think and act, create and analyze which focuses on building their higher-order thinking skills. Setting up small targets for each day will help them to complete their tasks easily and enjoyably!
Practicing Mindfulness
Our young students are already aware of the concept of mindfulness they have learned in Life skill sessions, but it’s the right time to practice it. It helps them to keep themselves away from negative thoughts and increase their awareness of the present. Ask them to practice meditation and observe their breath, they will easily relate to the activity ‘Smell a rose and blow out a candle’ which tells them the way to breathe in and breathe out! By being mindful, they can watch the sensation of their body parts after some short exercise, ask them to observe the glitters settling down after a jar which had been shaken, let them know that the mind settles the same way if we just leave it without trying to fight away with negative thoughts!
Connect with friends
The major missing for all the children during this crisis is keeping themselves away from friends and playing outdoors. Nothing can replace the pleasure of playing outside in the park or playground with friends! An alternative could be to connect with friends via video call or a phone call made at least once or twice a week. Try this and you will find the difference!
Also Read:- Tips for Students During Covid 19
Quality time with Parents
Most of us as parents may be physically present with them for months due to work from home but have we spared some time from our busy schedule to spend some quality time with them? Now that we all have realized that work from home requires more investment of your time and efforts most of the time, this must not be an excuse to be unable to strike a balance between work and life! After all, you will not deny the fact as a parent that our children are the greatest asset and we work to make their lives happier! They just need YOU most of the time, be with THEM!
The wish list for finding happiness for our children may be endless! Young minds can easily be molded, but if left unattended when they need us the most, it can create a vicious circle of unpleasant situations. Let’s make them resilient and confident to overcome this hardship too, just BE WITH THEM!
Written By:- Ms. Ankita Sinha, Primary Wing teacher, MRISCharmwood.
