“Parenting is the easiest thing in the world to have an opinion about, but the hardest thing in the world to do!”-Matt Walsh.
I am sure most of you who are parents would agree with Matt. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that we can’t live with them and can’t live without them! What a Catch 22 situation! Well, the pandemic made it a little tougher for all of us! However, as they say, “You should never let a good crisis go waste!”, how can we miss this opportunity then? Maybe a lifetime opportunity! Let’s talk about parenting during covid times.
Parenting during covid times –
Covid Times has given us everyday opportunities for extraordinary parenting. All we need to do is look for those! So let’s get started with some that I have discovered. But before we dive into it let’s look at what are some crucial factors for a child’s development. Though we can look at a long list of things but everything may eventually boil down to the 2 most significant ones, that is Experiential Learning (Hands-on) and Parental Support. The extent of these two may taper with the child’s age or needs.
Undivided attention –
First things first, we should give undivided attention to our children for moments throughout the day. WFH (Work From Home) has given us this golden opportunity to spend more time with our children. Therefore, giving undivided attention to your child (no multitasking) and being mentally present with your child and not just physically is of great significance. This is not about spending hours but just 2 to 5 minutes at intervals through the day. Like reading a book, playing a game, doing a puzzle together, cooking together, cleaning together, making the grocery list together…there are endless possibilities which may be so much fun to try.
Encourage kids to help around the house –
This is also perhaps a great time to encourage kids to do cleaning, cooking, dusting and so many household chores wherein they learn basic survival skills. Research has shown that children who do household chores emerge as more responsible and organized adults. These tasks will add so much to the confidence and independence of your child. In fact, there is an app called Birdfin: https://bit.ly/Birdfin that encourages such tasks in a fun and rewarding way. You can try the app and see it for yourself!
It is also a great time to show the new generation how nature took a breather because of the lockdown through pictures from the world. How the rivers looked clearer, dolphins spotted in Mumbai, and other such marvellous examples. This clearly proves how as earthlings we should be contributing to our planet.
Create family time rituals –
Why not create some “Family Time Rituals” which did not exist pre-covid but can surely continue post-covid. These could be as simple as having one meal together as a family with no gadgets. You can also create your own fun and unique rituals.
Sensitize your children to others’ needs. This is an excellent time to demonstrate to your kids that you don’t just care about yourself and the family but the community at large. Helping your neighborhood with food, clothes or Covid Positive people with their supply of basic necessities will send out strong signals to your child of Community Service.
Connect with relatives and friends –
It is also an amazing time for the children to connect with their distant cousins or grandparents via videoconferencing which would have only happened at weddings or special occasions in the past.
Last but not the least, it is a great time to indulge in Dance, Yoga, Zumba, Cycling, or any other form of physical fitness with your child. This is not just a great way to bond but will also encourage your child to form healthy habits and of course a great way for you as an adult to unwind too!
So, what are you waiting for? Make the most of this before it ends! Who knows you and your child may have formed some life-changing habits!
About the author-
This article is written by Stuti Mehrotra. She is a passionate educationist who has a rich experience of working with kids. She has been a teacher, trainer, and educator before being an entrepreneur and running her own preschool called Linden Montessori in Bengaluru.
Stuti highly believes in the Montessori Philosophy of believing greatly in children and allowing them to make their own choices and take certain risks within limits to help them in achieving their real potential as being over-protective with children makes them lose out on a number of learning opportunities. She is the founder and director of Linden Montessori.
You can check out this Other article by Stuti – How to make children eat and also choose healthy food
I am writing about no stress education for the #CauseAChatter series and this is the 11th post.
2 Pingbacks