Grades PreK-2
Create and Stick to Routines
Slide10 (1).pdfschedule (1).pdfSample Daily-Schedule.pdfWHO Parenting 3.pdf
Keep routines in place
The experts all agree that setting and sticking to a regular schedule is key, even when you’re all at home all day. Kids should get up, eat and go to bed at their normal times. Consistency and structure are calming during times of stress. Kids, especially younger ones or those who are anxious, benefit from knowing what’s going to happen and when.
The schedule can mimic a school or day camp schedule, changing activities at predictable intervals, and alternating periods of study and play.
It may help to print out a schedule and go over it as a family each morning. Setting a timer will help kids know when activities are about to begin or end. Having regular reminders will help head off meltdowns when it’s time to transition from one thing to the next.
https://childmind.org/article/supporting-kids-during-the-covid-19-crisis/
https://childmind.org/recursos-en-espanol/
Managing Emotions
WHO Paretning 5.pdfReassure your child or teen that they are safe. Let them know it is OK if they feel upset. Share with them how you deal with your own stress so that they can learn how to cope from you.
Be an emotion scientist. Suspend judgement and instead, accept emotions as information. When we understand our emotions, we can regulate them. Understanding our emotions and how they impact our actions is the foundation of self-awareness and self-management.
Manage your own anxiety
It’s completely understandable to be anxious right now (how could we not be?) but how we manage that anxiety has a big impact on our kids. Keeping your worries in check will help your whole family navigate this uncertain situation as easily as possible.
For those moments when you do catch yourself feeling anxious, try to avoid talking about your concerns within earshot of children. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, step away and take a break. That could look like taking a shower or going outside or into another room and taking a few deep breaths.https://childmind.org/article/supporting-kids-during-the-covid-19-crisis/
Teach Gratitude
“Gratitude blocks toxic emotions, such as envy, resentment, regret and depression, which can destroy our happiness.”— Robert Emmons
When we look for things to be grateful for we are likely to find things to be grateful for in the most unlikely places.
"Gratitude is a state of mind that arises when you affirm a good thing in your life that comes from outside yourself, or when you notice and relish little pleasures." http://ei.yale.edu/what-is-gratitude/ Gratitude is not based on life circumstances or environment but the way we decide to interpret them. While we are, in a sense, stuck in our homes, worried about the future other worries are likely alleviated.
While parents are balancing work life, new technology and homeschooling, we have opportunities to create bonds that will last a lifetime. Gratitude is not about ignoring hardship, it's about embracing the good embedded in the hardship.
Help Small Children Process News
WHO Parenting 6.pdf
