The COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing restrictions to move freely have changed our lives drastically. A society where people love social interacting, people are caged indoors. Both mental and physical health has been affected by it. Our lives took an unanticipated turn. While adults are working from home, students are attending endless hours of online classes.
Life in pre-COVID times looks nothing like it does now. Children had a dedicated study and playtime schedule. They would spend a considerable part of their day outside the house, in school, parks, and playgrounds and tuition classes. Schools were like the kid’s second home and teachers played a pivotal role. Parenting was a little simpler then.
Parenting in pandemic has been a task
Covid-19 pandemic has bought a new set of challenges for parents. We as adults can vanquish over the situation but the bigger challenge arises for parents in terms of parenting when the child has no interaction with the world outside. Yet parents need to find the right balance between work and home life.
As kids are homebound, they certainly miss their school and all the outdoor activities. For most of the kids, the home has become the classroom. They spent long hours in front of the screen to attend online classes. Parents effectively have to play the role of both the teacher and the parent. This may be in terms of disciplining your child, keeping them entertained, or teaching them. Even when the child is attending the classes online, the parent has to supervise, make sure they complete the assignments.
Long onscreen hours taking a toll on kids too
Attending long hours of online classes can get monotonous for the child if that is not interactive enough. Children need constant attention. Online classes are failing to provide one-to-one teacher-student interaction. As a result, prolonged online classes have become just another formality than a learning process.
While it is important to learn maths problems as a part of the curriculum, teaching your kids life lessons are equally important. Moral values, practical life skills which can be applied at later stages of life can make your child far more prepared for the world outside than any bookish knowledge.
Helping kids cop-up with these changing times
As a parent, one would want to provide nothing but the best care to his child. Parents must look at lockdown as an opportunity to spend more quality time with their children and help them get through this mundane time. Here comes the most challenging part of parenting in COVID times,(i.e) keeping your child occupied. Parents are left with only limited options to keep kids entertained inside the house. However, if looked carefully, there are ample opportunities to engage your child in indoor tasks while you can work alongside.
Learning opportunities
Despite its challenges, the lockdown period has unlatched doors to numerous learning opportunities to parents as well as the kids. There have been valuable life lessons and opportunities for growth during online schooling. Teaching life lessons at this time would last for a lifetime. Here are a few ways by which you can help your child from melting like a blob in front of a computer screen all day long.
Also if you could not take out enough time to spend with your children earlier, now is the perfect time to bond with them.
1. Health is wealth
Coronavirus has taught us to take the best care of our health and immunity, maintain proper hygiene, and balanced diet. It’s time to inculcate these habits in your kids too. This is the perfect time to teach kids the importance of good health and to remain fit. Exercise is as important as a balanced diet.
Outdoor activities are limited. Yoga and simple exercise like jumping jacks, skipping are one great way to keep physical health in check. Perform simple yogic postures and breathing exercises with your kids. Yoga maintains good blood circulation in the body and keeps your mind calm. Start your day with yoga to fill yourself with positivity and prepare for the day’s tasks.
2. Count your blessing
Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The earlier the lesson on gratitude is taught, the better. Saying thank you is just not enough, one should understand the art of being thankful. This COVID-19 pandemic has given us a gazillion of opportunities to practice gratitude.
Next time when your kid is cribbing endlessly about not being able to meet friends or go out, teach them how lucky they are to stay home at this time. Teach them the luxury of having good food and good health, to be able to work and study online. Learning to be grateful for what we have rather than focusing on what we don’t can plant a seed of optimism in kids right from a young age.
3. New language skill
Focus on better communication. In today’s interconnected and interdependent world, the proficiency of languages plays a vital role. Indulge in learning a new language with your child and try to communicate in the same. It is a good exercise for a kid’s brain to form sentences in a new language. Watching movies of the new language will help you learn it even faster.
4. Time management
Children had a prefixed schedule for studying, playing, sleeping in pre-COVID times. Even their leisure time was scheduled. Do not let that schedule break now. Plan your kid’s day and teach them the importance of time. Teach them how to utilize their time efficiently in order to get the maximum output.
Allot time for different activities like studying, painting, playing, playing instruments, yoga, helping in chores, etc. Stress upon studying, make a designated timetable for all the subjects as they have in school. Give them the required leisure breaks to refresh their mind.
5. Family time
Life was all about running errands before the pandemic. Make the best use of this time to bond with your child. Eat breakfast and other meals together without the fear of getting late for the office. Do laundry together, this way your child can also learn to do his laundry. Stargaze at night on the terrace and teach them about our solar system and planets. Make a tent in the garden and spend Sundays in it.
6. Learn DIY projects
Keep the curiosity and creativity alive by indulging in small Do It Yourself projects. The internet is the storehouse of such projects. Convert your backyard into your little science laboratory and teach your kids simple science concepts with the help of experiments. You can also paint t-shirts and give it a personal touch, make beads earring, make diyas as Diwali and the festive season is just around the corner. It will be refreshing to do something outside of computer screens for you and your kids too.
7. Roles in the family
Tell them about the importance of the family and the roles each member plays. Kids must understand their role in the family. Involve them in little tasks related to chores like washing the vegetables or preparing the table for a meal, making the bed etc. The lockdown made us independent, now it is time to teach your kids the same.
The lockdown has made parenting a lot more challenging. On the one hand parents are handling their work while taking care of the house and kids on the other. Hope these simple tips help you multitask a little better.