What’s helping kids in beating the lockdown blues?

Source: The Indian Express

Lockdowns, social restrictions, school closures, travel constraints, and stress transference from parents have increased anxiety amongst kids. To help improve the situation, mental health experts have been asking parents to set a routine for kids, spend quality time with them, communicate responsibly, and divert their minds from the stress of the pandemic.

A lot of kids are experiencing Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) during the lockdown. And because they struggle to process emotions, parents need to help them by answering questions about the pandemic in an age-appropriate manner. Parents need to ensure that their kids are meaningfully occupied.

Keeping kids meaningfully occupied is not an easy feat. They get bored of the same activity very quickly and are constantly looking for new challenges. And in the past, while the parent may manage this by enrolling them in extra-curricular activities and hobby classes, there is no reason for parents to stop now just because there is a lockdown.

Parents can enroll them in online classes that are specially crafted for their age and affinities. From online cooking, dancing, and storytelling classes to online drama, soap-making, and art classes—there are a host of activities that could encourage kids to be creative and go beyond the school syllabus to learn something new enjoyably.

Also read: How parents can manage fights between Siblings