Avoid Stress in Kids during Coronavirus Lockdowns
In an effort to cut the cycle of corona virus infection, governments in several countries have issued social distancing and policies to stop learning activities in schools for 14 days.
Running social distancing during a corona pandemic, may not be easy for children. Moreover when they hear the word “lockdown.” Generally children are accustomed to meeting friends and teachers every day at school, doing activities at the course or extracurricular activities afterwards, until the afternoon having fun at the playground with peers.
Naturally, when all that must be stopped, children can feel stressed out, Moms! That’s why, we need to help them.
Explain correctly
Parents have to explain what COVID-19 is to children, like adults. But for toddlers or toddlers, surely they will feel very strange and they’ll ask ‘why can’t we go to school like normal?’ We as parents can use puppet media or videos in explaining it.
Meanwhile, for older children, parents can hold discussions. It can be started by asking the children what do they know of COVID-19, so that it will be easy for them to digest all of the information.
Avoid showing anxiety
Work or study from home can make children anxious, if their parents are also anxious. That’s because, anxiety is contagious. Therefore, don’t give information if corona is dead. But we can say to our children, the coronavirus can be prevented. It can also be cured, but of course there are things we need to do to achieve it.
Implement a healthy lifestyle
Tell the child, by implementing a healthy lifestyle, it can prevent the corona virus. Yes, when you are at home or study from home, that does not mean not doing anything.
Parents can tell the child the preventive steps such as proper hand washing routine. Then start to apply and explain why he can’t go out of the house like to a neighbor’s house, to the mall, then touching, smelling, and holding everything that is outside of the house (even in nature) is not allowed. Explain that coronavirus can stay on the surfaces for hours.
Accompany our children while studying at home
While at home all day, children are very likely to feel bored. The role and creativity of parents in this case is demanded in order to create comfort and excitement.
In addition, it is important for parents continue to educate their children on the reasons why they have to be at home, then to make sure children do the tasks requested by teachers online whether it is via email, school website, etc. So teachers can still have materials in evaluating our children and to check indicators of children’s success. Make sure our children do their homework themselves, don’t finish it for them.
Also, help our child to be able to understand school material. You should not hesitate to contact the child’s teacher when something is not understood.
Studying at home does not have to sit down nicely like at school, but we can also do learning while sitting in a home garden for example. Even so keep a regular schedule, including sports. No need to use anger, because usually parents are more easily emotional and overwhelmed when teaching their children (if parents do not have enough knowledge and experience in homeschooling).
When the child has finished learning, then he will have free time, take advantage of that time as creatively as possible.
While staying at home, your child naturally needs to do activities every day. That is, even though a child’s school is closed, it does not mean that they can get up late or their break time is not scheduled. Establishing daily routines such as when to get up, take a shower, eat, and rest is considered very important. In addition to training children to be disciplined, routines also play an important role so that children do not get bored quickly in doing their daily activities at home.
Ideas for fun activities at home
In order to avoid monotonous activity, here are various references to fun activities that we can do with children at home.
1. Interactive learning through devices
While at home, Parents can invite children to focus on interactive learning through gadgets. There are many applications that provide material for learning Maths, Languages, and other subjects that parents can download.
Here are some free and paid learning applications for children:
– Nick Jr – Shows and Games
– Khan academy kids
– RIVET
– Quick Math Jr
– LINGOKIDS
– EPIC!
– ABCMouse
Don’t forget to stay with your child while studying. If you find it difficult, parents can also ask for help from teachers at school. Ask about appropriate and effective learning methods for children that we can emulate and apply during the study period at home.
2. Involve children in domestic work or doing chores
Domestic work such as cooking, sweeping the house, washing dishes, etc. can be an alternative activity for children at home. Besides children can learn new things, domestic work can also practice good habits for children.
By getting children to do domestic work, he can indirectly be responsible for personal hygiene and the environment.
Of course domestic work must also be done according to the age of the child. Do not force children to do domestic work which even risks making them injured or exhausted.
3. Making art
To increase children’s creativity, parents can also invite children to make artwork such as drawing, making cakes, to making their own toys or handcrafting. Teach him to make different works every day so that he does not easily feel bored.
4. Encourage regular exercise
Staying at home to avoid being exposed to the COVID-19 virus does not mean that parents and children can be lazy and not exercise.
Doing regular exercise can actually help increase endurance so it is not easily exposed to viruses and diseases.
Encourage children to do fun routine sports such as gymnastics, dancing, or cycling in the yard. Parents can also occasionally invite children to jog outside the home so that they do not feel bored easily and are exposed to vitamin D from sunlight which is good for their health.
5. Read books
Parents can take advantage of this time by instilling reading habits in children. In addition to filling free time, reading can also be one way to reduce screen or TV time for children.
Give them books according to their age and there is no harm in accompanying the child when reading books.
6. Storytelling and making shows
In order to increase children’s creativity and linguistic abilities, parents can read to children directly.
Not only that, do not forget to invite the child to expression by asking him to retell the story that you have read in his own style.
Encourage your child to make shows such as theater, dancing, singing at home so as not to get bored.
7. Do a science experiment
One activity that is no less exciting, how about inviting children to conduct science experiments?
This activity can not only play your child, but at the same time learn in a fun way.
Many experiments do not require any chemicals, for example making rockets from used bottles and soft drinks or find various other references on the internet. You can also teach children refraction of light. How? It is easy, the experiment only requires clear glass, clear water and pencils. The trick is to fill the clear glass with clear water up to 2/3 of it, then insert a pencil into the glass that is already filled with water, then ask the child to observe from the side. From there, the child can see that the pencil is bent.
Now you have ideas which activities you can do or choose for your child. Parents, please remember, if your child show symptoms of anxiety or stress, do not hesitate to also consult a doctor immediately.
Hope this post is useful. Stay healthy and safe!
—————————————————————————————————————————————–
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I make a small commission off purchases, at no extra cost to you. Read my full disclosure here. Thank you for supporting the work I put on this site!
———————————————————————————————————————————
We Stress Free does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. However, if you need someone to talk to and want to make friends, please feel free to reach me at ferra@westressfree.com. If you would like to REDUCE your STRESS and are interested to do an ONLINE THERAPY, you can do so here.
———————————————————————————————————-—————————-
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.
The schools here have actually closed indefinitely, so no end in sight, unfortunately. and it came right after their real Spring Break so that makes the time away seem even longer! These are good ideas, we have kept them busy with school work, but I am sure that will not keep them occupied forever. The older kids have joined us for our workouts so that is nice, the younger kids I will have to get creative and use some of your ideas to help! This would actually have been easy for me as a kid, I love to read, these kids do not like it as much though. Maybe this will get them into it after awhile! You stay safe as well!
Hello Travis,
Thank you for taking time to visit my site, read my post and leave a comment. I really appreciate it! 😃 👍
My baby is not even 2 years old but I can see that she wants to go out and do other fun things outside of the house. Being home for 24/7 is difficult. Sometimes it is easy for parents to just let their kids to watch TV or play video games all day. I don’t want that for my kid.
Once again, thank you for your comment. Stay safe and healthy!
Ferra 💕
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19, I have to admit, I never quite fancied the idea that the children will certainly be affected in this capacity. That being said, it is truly a unique perspective and one that should be approached with care. It is fairly easy to get caught up in all that’s going on right now and forget keeping the kids in the loop. Thanks for sharing.
Hello Rhain,
Thank you for taking time to visit my site, read my post and leave a comment. I really appreciate it! 😃
Yes, you’re right. Keeping the kids aware of what’s going on is good. Especially when we want them to hear it from trusted sources. There are too many fake news or hoaxes circulating around. So, parents had better explain the real facts to kids in a way that they can comprehend based on their ages. 👍
Once again thank you. Stay safe and healthy!
Ferra 💕
I agree completely. It is too easy to get caught up in ourselves, and it is so very important that we remember to provide support for the little ones.
There are some really great ideas here for any parent who might be needing some inspiration. Thanks for posting!
Hi Marie,
Thank you for taking time to visit my site, read my post and leave a comment. I really appreciate it!
I am glad you found this post useful. Please be safe and take care!
Cheers,
Ferra
Hi Ferra – A very informative and timely post. As I have observed, the key to survival at home is busyness. Children help parents accomplish this because they (the children) have to be kept busy. All of the activities that you have listed for children are helpful. I hope many parents have the opportunity to read this post.
Hello Nathaniel,
Thank you for taking time to visit my site, read my post and leave a comment. I really appreciate it! 😃
You are right. We can’t deny the fact that we still need to make money. There are many people out there who can’t do that and they still have to go and work leaving their kids at home. Some of them even need to spend money on baby sitting. It’s even more stressful. So, we have to be thankful when we can do work from home. 👍
Once again thank you for your nice comment. Stay healthy and safe!
Cheers,
Ferra 💕
Hi Ferra,
The timing of this post is just amazing. In the part of the world where I live 22nd March is a complete shutdown (India), we were advised to stay at home from the morning to evening. Tv, Internet, Newspapers, and even in the coffee shop everyone is talking about Covid19 and people are afraid of it.
Many parents I know are not bothered to explain about it and children are not aware of it. All they know is they don’t need to go to schools, that’s it. Thanks for the insightful and informative post.
I am going to implement what I learned from your post. Ideas you shared for fun activities at home are very helpful! You have given me plenty to think about here. This post is so thorough it opened my eyes to all sorts of information I wasn’t aware of!
Hello Paul,
Thank you for taking time to visit my site, read my post and leave a comment. I really appreciate it! 😃
I am glad that you found this post helpful for you. 👍 I hope you and your kids are all safe and healthy!
Ferra 💕
With so much going on today regarding the virus and many adults wondering how it’s going to affect their jobs, we sometimes forget how the kids are affected, especially now that schools are closed for the remainder of the school year in a lot of places. I agree that it is important to try to keep one’s anxiousness in check when around your children out home because it can spread easily. I believe the best thing you can do with kids now at home is to keep up their learning activities. It’s so important these days to make sure that they read or keep up with it. That’s one thing that I help with for me niece and nephew. For those that live out in the country, do you think it’s still ok for kids to play outside just a little bit during this time?
Hello Brian,
Thank you for taking time to visit my site, read my post and leave a comment. I really appreciate it! 😃
I am glad to hear that you help your niece and nephew to keep learning while staying at home during this difficult time. 👍
You’re right, I will add more tips for kids who live in the country side. They don’t have the luxury to use internet and some even don’t have electric running 24/7 in their house. You just gave me ideas to edit my post. Thanks so much!
I think there are still so much to do like reading for kids in the country side. Again, parents have to explain the real situation. Kids love playing. There are so many ideas of playing and learning at home. We can do board games, play charades, cook and clean the house, plant seeds of vegetables and fruits that they can later enjoy when it’s time to harvest, and many more.
Once again thank you for your nice comment. Stay healthy and safe!
Ferra 💕
Greet post, keeping the kids happy during this sad time is really important for their future, wll done.
Hello David,
Thank you for taking time to visit my site, read my post and leave a comment. I really appreciate it! 😃 👍
Yes, I agree with you. It is important for their future. Staying home doing nothing won’t be so good for them. Letting them to play all day is not a good idea too. We better help them to use their time wisely so the learning process is still going but don’t forget to have fun too while doing it. 🙂
Thanks again. Stay safe and healthy!
Cheers,
Ferra
Great article – you have some really good suggestions for how to keep kids from going stir crazy during this strange time. My kids’ schools closed and are doing online learning. It actually has gone smoother than I could have hoped, but they do have a lot of extra time on their hands during the day, and I have already started thinking about how they can use that time so they don’t get bored and stressed out.
I agree with your point about staying physically active. My kids both play sports, and they miss their team activities, but we’re going for walks, playing catch in the yard, etc. It’s not quite the same as normal, but it helps not to be inside 24/7 from a mental standpoint. And it’s a good energy release so they don’t have trouble getting to sleep at night.
One thing I hadn’t thought of relates to what you said about chores and cleaning around the house. All the extra time at home is a perfect opportunity for kids (and parents) to do things that we want to do, but just don’t get around to as often as we’d like. So, tomorrow my kids and I are going to go through toys, books, clothes, etc. and set aside for donation anything that they don’t use anymore. Thanks for making me think of that!
Hello Jordan,
Thank you for taking time to visit my site, read my post and leave a comment. I really appreciate it! 😃
I’m so glad to hear that this post is helpful to you. 👍 I hope you and your kids will enjoy your time together and still make fun memories during this difficult time.
Once again thank you for your nice comment. Stay healthy and safe!
Ferra 💕
Thank you for sharing this informative and helpful article about Avoid stress in kids during Coronavirus lock down. Even in South the schools are closed for 3 weeks. Every parent was stressed out as they did not have any arrangements for their kids, that made most parents to work from home and take care of their kids during this difficult times. Your article provides good ideas we have to keep them busy with school work and also fun activities as kids get bored especially when they have to do one thing over and over. You have given us brilliant ideas on how to keep them busy through out. Explaining to our kids what is happening if very important to protect them from stressing.Luckly my kids are the ones who are explaining to me what coronavirus is and how we can protect ourselves and why we have to stay at home. I have bookmarked your article so that I can come back to it. I will share it with my friends. Great post.
Wishing you all the success
Hello Fiona,
Thank you for taking time to visit my site, read my post and leave a comment. I really appreciate it!
I am glad you found this article is useful. Please take care and be safe.
Cheers,
Ferra
Great suggestions for keeping the kids occupied here. I’m grateful for the list of learning apps. It’s hard to keep kids off the Ipad at the best of times, but I’ve been giving in much more frequently of late just because there’s so much time to kill. At least if they are using a learning app i won’t feel so guilty about it. Thanks for a great article. Happy isolation to you x
Hi Debbie,
Thank you for taking time to visit my site, read my post and leave a comment. I really appreciate it!
I am glad you found this post useful. Yes, my little girl likes to play with ipad too but I downloaded learning apps for pre-schoolers. Sometimes it is too advanced for her but we will be there to learn and play with her. We also got a new kitchen set toys with food toys as well, so she’s pretty happy to stay in so far.
Please be safe and take care!
Cheers,
Ferra