Back to school & sports: 6 tips to prepare kids for social distancing
For parents, the return of the academic school year will surely cause some concern. The world is still battling the COVID-19 crisis, showing no signs of slowing down or stopping. Therefore, with this side of effective treatment and a vaccine, we must get used to social distancing rules and taking extra care in our day-to-day lives. It’s not easy to get right, but we highly recommend that if you are worried about your children returning to school, you try to use the following tips and tricks.
Talk to them about the situation.
The first thing to avoid doing is trying to hide your children from the reality of this situation. The COVID-19 crisis will shape a significant part of their childhoods, so it will likely prove impossible to shield them from the drama. If you want to ensure you have the best chance to give your children the help, they need to handle COVID-19, then be open and clear with them about the risks.
It would be best if you told them that for the foreseeable future, things are going to change, but they need to be strong. Fear leads to mistakes, so ensure they are prepared instead of scared. The more you can do to keep them informed, the better they will handle the lifestyle changes that are impacting them daily.
Try to keep a home lifestyle.
However, just because things are different outside your home does not mean home life has to change. So long as you are all taking precautions, you can then enjoy some time at home together without any particular fear. This allows you to utilize a social distancing experience outside the house and enjoy life at home.
There is no reason why you need to drastically how you change when at home with your children and your household family members. If you have guests over, then you should take some extra precautions, of course, but you should not look to make life at home too different for your child.
Life everywhere else will change, so having a home as some shrine of normality should go a long way to helping your children cope better.
Lead by example
Instead of simply telling your children to wash their hands regularly, wear masks, and keep their distance, lead by example. When taking them to school, please wash your hands in front of them visibly. Have them do the same. Ensure you do the same when you both return home from school or any outdoor activity.
The more you can do to show the kids that they need to take this seriously, the more likely they are to follow your lead. Lead by example, though; children are often much better at learning when you show them what they need to do than just telling them. So, keep that in mind, and you should have a much greater chance of making sure that you get a positive experience.
Leading by example is the best way to help keep your children learning and coping.
Show them how to distance
Another good example to give your children is what a socially distanced experience will look like. They spend some time separated for a few nights before returning to school as they will be in the classroom. If possible, speak with their school staff and find out what the plans are so that you can start readying your child for those plans.
If you take a bit of time to help prepare them when you are both at home, you will be much more likely to get a positive response from your child. Preparing your child for social distancing will be important, and showing them what to expect means that the classroom is less likely to be such a big shock to them when they return to school.
Get them exercising at home.
However, one thing we do wish to raise is that many children will be seeing minimal physical education at school. Social distancing means that most forms of sport, especially contact sports, will be ended for some time. This means that when your children come home, you should be looking to help them stay fit.
Get a soccer ball and a basketball hoop, and at the very least, you have something that you can both do together for an hour or two each night. Something that should not fall by the wayside during the pandemic is the health and fitness of your children. Now, you can ensure they don’t need to see their fitness levels fall through the floor.
Mental health will surely be impacted during COVID-19, so their physical health can stay robust.
Always be honest
When your child asks you about the COVID-19 situation, please don’t lie to them. The best way to prepare your child for social distancing and applying the rules is to be clear to them what issues arise from COVID-19. This will make them much more likely to adhere to laws and regulations and ensure they are also aware of the situation.
You don’t want to scare your child but you can’t insulate them from the truth forever. Schools are quite open about COVID, so you can’t have your child hearing one story from you and another from their teachers. Instead, build trust by being honest with them about the potential risks that might exist.
The more truthful you can be, the more likely your child will feel comfortable committing to the social distancing requirements asked of them.
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