Food For Thought
Feeling overwhelmed about at home learning?
Please do not feel the pressure from school to engage in specific learning. You are the best judge of your children and you can choose to engage as much or as little as you wish. We will just focus on trying to provide the best learning opportunities we can in the circumstances.
This is a short video by a neuroscience educator and director as well as being an education guru Nathan Wallis .
Top Tips For Young People and Parents to Beat the Stress
It certainly is a huge change for us all, learning about a global pandemic, being directly affected in our own usually beautifully safe country and now in isolation. We know some of our kids will be significantly affected by this and may have a lot of questions. As parents, it can be very hard to know what to say and what to do to keep them and you feeling okay.
The team at Starship Children's Hospital have put together some helpful tips for families at home to reduce the stress and help manage potential anxiety.
Keep to regular routines and schedules as much as possible, or help create new ones in a new environment, including school/learning as well as time for safely playing and relaxing. Routines provide structure and predictability which help children feel safe.
Your children will follow your lead. They will notice what you do as much as what you say e.g. are you following the hand-washing advice. Keep a calm voice, children pick up when parents worry. Limit the amount of time you spend talking about COVID-19.Talk about things that you can do.
Give your child specific things they can do to feel in control. Teach kids that getting lots of sleep and washing their hands well and often can help them stay strong and well. Explain that regular hand washing also helps stop viruses from spreading to others. Be a good role model and let your kids see you washing your hands often!
Find out what your child already knows. Ask questions geared to your child's age level. For older kids, you might ask, "Are people in school talking about coronavirus? What are they saying?" For younger children, you could say, "Have you heard grownups talking about a new sickness that's going around?" This gives you a chance to learn how much kids know — and to find out if they're hearing the wrong information. Be aware of how your kids get news and information, especially older kids who go online. Watch the news with your kids so you can filter what they hear.
Follow your child's lead. Some kids may want to spend time talking. But if your kids don't seem interested or don't ask a lot of questions, that's OK.
Offer Comfort and Honesty. Focus on helping your child feel safe, but be truthful. Don't offer more detail than your child is interested in. For example, if kids ask about school closings, address their questions. But if the topic doesn't come up, there's no need to raise it unless it happens.
If your child asks about something and you don't know the answer, say so. Use the question as a chance to find out together. Check the Ministry of Health (MoH) and WHO websites for up-to-date, reliable information about coronavirus (COVID-19).
Talk about all the things that are happening to keep people safe and healthy. Young kids might be reassured to know that hospitals and doctors are prepared to treat people who get sick.
Make opportunities for your child to play and relax. Find ways to connect e.g. board games, family meals, Skype whānau.
Book Explaining Coronavirus for Children
A free information book has been released explaining the coronavirus to children, illustrated by Gruffalo illustrator Axel Scheffler.