Lockdown has become a pain in everyone life. What about the children at home, are they feeling any different? Let’s see how things turn out to be for kids being at home.
What do they know about COVID-19 and lockdown?
Children are not fully aware of this virus, yet they were taken all precautions while going to schools before lockdown. Thanks to the schools for inculcating such measures. Later in lockdown, they are educated by their family members about the virus and its effects. We all know how kids can be at these things.
Positive aspects of children being at home:
It looked like they got summer holidays sooner like Santa gifts wrapped even before Christmas. Cancellation of exams was such a stress relief for them
The children became to busy enjoying the indoor life, they sank into the early summer pool discovering every way of joy in lockdown indoor. Online gaming, watching cartoons, and even browsing time drastically increased.
Children and parents are at last happy to have family time and excited to strengthen their bond with parent interactions. The level of understanding between them was given a chance.
We know children observe a lot, notice, and react in the same way as parents, given a perfect platform for parents to make a difference and boost their confidence.
Now many of them are feeling new, fresh, and excited more than ever to go to school and start in new grades.
They are encouraged in little physical activities and home side games that sharpen their mental and physical self.
Some of them learned home responsibilities like gardening, cooking, and helping mom in her activities and completing healthy tasks given by parents.
They can focus on parts of their subjects that they are weak and improve by taking elders advice, developing the career academically and otherwise.
Being creative and innovative by recycling things at home.
Negative aspects of children being at home:
Some children at home left with no siblings to play or talk to felt like real-life hell in this lockdown, wishing that they have siblings or more friends to share things with.
Just after the cancellation of exams was announced, the school's tool actions in starting online classes and e-learning. This not only was new to children but also for most of the parents.
It broke the wheel of joy and entertainment in summer lockdown.
Many of the kids missed vacation to their villages, Disney lands, ocean parks, and trips.
With the extended lockdown in versions and updated rules, the children felt too distant from their friends and school environment. With these generation kids habituated with the custom culture, they are missing restaurants and junk foods.
Authoritative parents restricting them to watch and browse in these times left them in pain of eternity.
All the worries are quotes “never before and should ever after” sarcastically.
Lockdown effects on their mental health:
Survey by CRY (child rights and you) among parents reported that there is an increase in screen exposure and change of eating patterns. With this in addition parents have to supervise their online browsing to become complicated. Lockdown can impose multiple side effects on their physical and psycho-social well being.
Living in isolation under quarantine will have some serious consequences like delaying in their cognition, emotional, and social development. This risk is more for those in their adolescence and an increase in the risk of mental illness.
Children's intellectual development with the gap in education will be harder in the poorest kids, with such a long period of closure they even forgot what they already know (Ebbinghaus curve of forgetting).
Children are magical thinkers and they believe in their own thoughts. The loss of freedom could lead to long term behavioral problems. Children with more siblings will develop more social skills, but with only children atmosphere leads to social problems.
Teachers and parents are first to notice the deteriorating mental health of their pupils. In Manas, we have the best child and adolescent psychologists, in need of our services towards your loving child’s career and development we are always here for you.
Motivational thoughts:
“There’s nothing wrong with your child it’s the environment you provide changes them”
“Choosing wisely the best won’t help, if you are not with them”
Rakesh Gorle,
Youth psychologist at Manas.
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