By Akanksha Sharma
Childhood is a time of rapid development, and a child needs to engage in a number of different activities to develop at the right pace, in accordance with their age milestones. The Covid 19 time has been a very difficult time for our young children, especially those who are in the 4-9 years age group. This is the age group where rapid physical, intellectual and language development takes place for children; that is incredibly critical for their positive future growth and development. Being stuck at home, for a continuous period of 4-5 months has definitely put a wrench in the normal development process of our precious children.
Children need various Sources of Interaction apart from Parents
These days, many families are nuclear, and a lot of them have both the parents working full-time jobs. There has also been a rise in the number of single child households. Oftentimes, parents are not able to give the proper amount of attention to their child, due to being busy with home and office work. Even if they are at home, the amount of actual quality time that they spend with the child can be very little. Children also can suffer from stress of not being able to go outside, and of being isolated at home. Each child craves attention, love and affection – so parents need to be cognizant of their child’s mental health.
Skills that Children Gain from interacting with their Peers
Children need to go out and perform physical activities. They must play, not just with toys but also with other children. Emotional development is also a very important part of the development process of a child. When children interact with their peers, they learn many critical and important skills. Such skills include the following:
- Sharing
- Cooperating
- Working Together
- Playing Fair
- Controlling Aggression
- Expressing Emotions
- Language Skills
Not just with peers, children also need to have good and healthy relations with other adults in their lives as well. Here, teachers are important role models for children, with whom they may spend maximum time in a day; sometimes, even more than their parents.
The Emotional Bond Between Children & their Teachers is Suffering
I was having a deep conversation with an educator yesterday, and she too expressed to me, that teaching online did not have the same positive impact, as did teaching offline. She narrated to me, the case of an emotionally disturbed 6th grade student, who would not participate in class, despite continuous encouragement on the phone. Even with the parents of the child, there was a communication gap. The lack of physical connect, and in-person interaction was preventing the teacher from taking pro-active and positive action to solve the problem.
In such scenarios, it becomes very important for parents to step up and make extra efforts in communicating with their child and finding out about his/her problems. Only once parents know about the problems, will they be able to solve them and support their child.
Three Golden Tips of Communication Between Parent & Child
- Set aside half an hour every day, no matter how busy you are to sit down and communicate with your child. Play with them like a friend, and try to have a warm and friendly conversation at the same time. During this time you can gently try to find out about any problems that your child is facing.
- When you are feeling angry and frustrated at your child, do not scream and shout. Calmly explain what wrong thing the child has done, and what will be the consequences of the same. Maintain a calm and neutral tone consistently. Do not reward your child for bad behaviour.
- In case you are not able to give the child attention at some point of time, explain to the child the reason for the same. Promise him/her that you will make up for it later. Try to give a specific time if possible so that your child has something to look forward to and anticipate.
How to Talk to Children Regarding Covid 19 & the Lockdown Situation
Sudden changes in ways of life can be very scary and disruptive for a child. If your child is not able to go down to their park as usual, they will feel distressed. Not meeting family members and friends for a long period of time is also very upsetting to a child, particularly if he/she is used to meeting them frequently in the past. No doubt, a child will be curious regarding the present situation. The worst thing you could do is to brush their questions under the rug. It is not right to keep your child in the dark. Instead, explain the current situation to them in a positive and non-catastrophic way. Narrate the circumstances like a story, and always be sure to tell them that these circumstances are not going to last forever. Children must know that bright and happy days are right around the corner.
Author’s Note: If you liked this article, then please do share it with any parents you know. Let’s us join hands to make the relationship between parents and children better. Children’s mental health is often neglected, and it must be given a voice, as every child is unique. If you wish to schedule a counselling session, you may write to me at akanksha.sharma158@gmail.com .
