I never thought I’d have to write an article called “How to Explain to Children That Now You Can’t Leave the House”. Yet it is so. Today, at the time of the Coronavirus, we find ourselves reflecting on how to help children and young people accept the restrictions necessary to stop this global pandemic.
The historical moment we are experiencing, in fact, is particularly complex. From one day to the next, our lives have been turned upside down. Going to work, waking up early to go to school, going out with friends and walking in the park are habits that, alas, no longer seem to exist. The routine that, at times, seemed to suffocate us and go tight, today, begins to fail. And this applies both to adults, but also to children and teenagers. They too, in fact, often forgotten at this moment, suffer from the dramatic situation we find ourselves living in. It’s not just about the school and the more or less effective online lessons. Even children and young people struggle to find a new balance, in this reality so different from the one we are used to facing.
Explain To Children That Now You Cannot Leave The House: Why Is It Important?
It is essential to explain to children that now they cannot leave the house. Because? To help them understand the meaning of this enormous sacrifice. Because, although children seem, in general, to adapt better than adults to changes, staying at home all day is a huge commitment. Especially in a period of growth such as childhood, where routine acquires a fundamental role, seeing your daily life upset is very tiring.
Furthermore, children and young people are asked not to be able to attend their schoolmates, friends and neighbors anymore. The grandparents, uncles and relatives who are used to attend. There are no longer walks in the park, football games or training in the pool. What we are asking of them are major sacrifices. Explaining to the children that now they cannot leave the house, therefore, is essential to make sense of this effort.
Explaining the Coronavirus to children and the importance of staying at home obviously needs to be done taking into consideration the child’s age and level of development. This step allows, in fact, to transform what seems a passive obligation into an active choice to fight the Coronavirus. It seems little, but it is not. What we are being asked to do is stay home to fight a very serious global pandemic. Explaining to the children that you can’t leave the house now allows you to play an active role in this battle.
Explaining to children what is happening, highlighting the active role we can have, becomes very important. And it allows us to overcome that sense of helplessness that often grips us.
Explain To Children That You Cannot Leave The House: Why Mom And Dad Yes, And Me Not?
The restrictions of the latest decrees impose a very strict regime. You can only go out for work, basic necessities or emergencies. Therefore, children and young people are not included in the exits.
This is necessary to avoid the spread of the infection. At the same time, however, what we are asking of children is a great sacrifice. Even if we do not realize it, the possibility that we adults have to go out to take the dog to do the needs or go to the supermarket with the necessary precautions, still remain two opportunities to get some air. Children and adolescents, on the other hand, are excluded from this possibility.
Right now, those who have a garden and a small courtyard are very lucky. With the necessary precautions and avoiding gatherings, it is thus possible to stay in the open air. Those with a balcony can take advantage of it to let the Early Childhood Education And Care to play a little “away from home”. Thanks to the warm days that the summer will bring, it can be an opportunity to “get out of the house” while still being in your home. Not everyone, however, is so lucky. Especially those who live in big cities (but not only) do not have gardens or balconies. It is important to remember, then, to ventilate the rooms, in order to favor the exchange of air, essential for everyone, including children and teenagers.
What is asked of them is a great sacrifice, but it is important to explain to the children that now they cannot leave the house, if not only for urgent needs.
Explain To Children That Now You Cannot Leave The House: How To Organize The Routine
Even if the rhythms are no longer marked by deadlines, it is important for children and young people to maintain a routine. Building a regular daily life, even if different from the previous one, is fundamental.
Timetables
In a reality where there are no longer fixed times, it is important to maintain a regularity of the sleep-wake cycle. Setting the alarm and getting up at more or less the same time, even for children, plays an important role. Wash, get ready and have breakfast. Maintaining the regularity of meals also becomes central. Especially in this period, where the appetite can increase or decrease, it is important to favor a healthy and varied diet. Staying at home for a long time, for example, can lead children to eat often and between meals, perhaps even out of boredom. Conversely, some children and teenagers can skip meals. Maintaining regularity, therefore, becomes central.
Organization
Staying indoors allows you to share more time with the family. This is true, but not always. The possibility of working in smart working for mum and dad, for example, is an excellent opportunity, but it must be managed appropriately. It is not easy, without pre-defined timetables, to be able to take the time to work or disconnect at the right time. For this it may be appropriate to plan the days. This allows, in fact, not only to have more time, but to have quality time. The importance of organizing, however, does not only concern parents.
Even children and young people must learn to organize their days, in a different way than they were used to just a few months ago. The absence of defined times (except for video lessons), extra-curricular activities and various commitments, can lead to continuous procrastination or, on the contrary, to the inability to “switch off”. Creating daily schedules can be very useful in this regard.
Explain To Children That Now You Cannot Leave The House, But That You Should Not Always Be Attached To Your Phone And Computer
One of the big problems that mom and dad have to face in this situation is the regulation of the use of phones, tablets, computers and various electronic games. A little because school lessons are done on the PC, a little because of the need to video call friends or to play games with the PlayStation, the use of new technologies in this period has significantly increased for everyone.
The Net certainly allows us to maintain contact with the world and to shorten those distances which, to date, seem so infinite. Therefore, the possibility of using all these devices is welcome. It is important, however, to regulate the use of telephones and computers, to prevent the children from spending most of their days there. In this particular period, in fact, it can be useful to take the opportunity to spend time together, play games, and share daily activities.
Explaining To Children That You Cannot Leave The House: The Importance Of The Example
How to explain to the children that now they cannot leave the house? In words, but also (and above all) by example. As always, the example of adults is worth a thousand explanations. While this isn’t always easy, for example, it may be wise to avoid complaining about restrictions on a daily basis. It is physiological to have moments of impatience, but the difficulty of staying at home should not be the only thought. It is complex for everyone, but complaining every day is useless.
It becomes more useful, however, to find fun and alternative ways to pass the time. Building, inventing something. Give space to the imagination. Rest. It is not necessary to fill in all the blanks we have. This complex period, among all the negative things it brings with it, can leave us an important legacy. Learning to live in the present, without necessarily doing or running. Without, necessarily, filling in all the blanks. And finally, it can be useful to think slowly about the future. Starting to think about a trip out of town, which dinners to organize, which friends to see first. In short, start dreaming of the future.
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