The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has affected every family’s life around the world. School closures, working from home, physical distancing — it's a lot to handle, especially for parents. We have a few great tips and ideas from Parenting for Lifelong Health to help parents in this uncertain time.
Set aside time to spend with each child
It can be for just 20 minutes, or longer – it’s up to us. It can be at the same time each day so children or teenagers can look forward to it. Ask your child what they would like to do. Choosing builds their self confidence. If they want to do something that isn’t OK with physical distancing, then this is a chance to talk with them about this.
Ideas with your baby/toddler
Copy their facial expression and sounds.
Sing songs, make music with pots and spoons.
Stack cups or blocks.
Tell a story, read a book or share pictures.
Ideas with your young child
Read a book or look at pictures.
Go for a walk – outdoors or around the home.
Dance to music or sing songs!
Do a chore together – make cleaning and cooking a game!
Help with school work.
Ideas with your teenager
Talk about something they like: sports, music, celebrities, friends.
Go for a walk – outdoors or around the home.
Exercise together to their favorite music.
Switch off the TV and phone. Listen to them, look at them. Give them your full attention. Have fun!
Stay positive and try to have a better communication
It‘s hard to feel positive when our kids or teenagers are driving us crazy. We often end up saying “Stop doing that!”. But children are much more likely to do what we ask if we give them positive instructions and lots of praise for what they do right. It is good to say the behaviour you want to see.
Use positive words when telling your child what to do; like "Please put your clothes away" (instead of "Don’t make a mess"). It’s all up to our tones and the way we deliver the message. Shouting at your child will just make you and them more stressed and angrier. Get your child’s attention by using their name. Speak in a calm voice.
Try praising your child or teenager for something they have done well. They may not show it, but you’ll see them doing that good thing again. It will also reassure them that you notice and care.
Can your child actually do what you are asking them? It is very hard for a child to keep quiet inside for a whole day but maybe they can keep quiet for 15 minutes while you are on a call.
Teens especially need to be able to communicate with their friends. Help your teen connect through social media and other safe distancing ways. This is something you can do together, too!
Get structured
COVID-19 has taken away our daily work, home and school routines. This is hard for children, teenagers and for you. Making new routines can help.
Create a flexible but consistent daily routine
Make a schedule for you and your children that has time for structured activities as well as free time. This can help children feel more secure and better behaved.
Children or teenagers can help plan the routine for the day – like making a school timetable. Children will follow this better if they help to make it.
Include exercise in each day - this helps with stress and kids with lots of energy at home.
Teach your child about keeping safe distances
If it is OK in your country, get children outside.
You can also write letters and draw pictures to share with people. Put them up outside your home for others to see!
You can reassure your child by talking about how you are keeping safe.
Listen to their suggestions and take them seriously.
Make handwashing and hygiene fun
Make a 20-second song for washing hands. Add actions!
Give children points and praise for regular handwashing.
Make a game to see how few times we can touch our faces with a reward for the least number of touches (you can count for each other).
You are a model for your child’s behaviour
If you practice keeping safe distances and hygiene yourself, and treat others with compassion, especially those who are sick or vulnerable – your children and teenagers will learn from you.
At the end of each day, take a minute to think about the day. Tell your child about one positive or fun thing they did. Praise yourself for what you did well today. You are a star!
Bad behaviour
All children misbehave. It is normal when children are tired, hungry, afraid, or learning independence. And they can drive us crazy when stuck at home.
Redirect
Catch bad behavior early and redirect your kids’ attention from a bad to a good behavior.
Stop it before it starts! When they start to get restless, you can ask them to do something interesting or fun: “Come, let’s go outside for a walk!”
Take a pause
Feel like screaming? Give yourself a 10-second pause. Breathe in and out slowly five times. Then try to respond in a calmer way. Millions of parents say this helps - a lot!
Use consequences
Consequences help teach our children responsibility for what they do. They also allow discipline that is controlled. This is more effective than hitting or shouting.
Give your child a choice to follow your instruction before giving them the consequence.
Try to stay calm when giving the consequence.
Make sure you can follow through with the consequence. For example, taking away a teenager’s phone for a week is hard to enforce.Taking it away for one hour is more realistic.
Once the consequence is over, give your child a chance to do something good, and praise them for it.
One-on-One time, praise for being good, and consistent routines will reduce bad behaviour.
Give your children and teens simple jobs with responsibilities. Just make sure it is something they are able to do. And praise them when they do it!
Keep calm and manage stress
This is a stressful time. Take care of yourself, so you can support your children.
You are not alone
Millions of people have the same fears as us. Find someone who you can talk to about how you are feeling. Listen to them. Avoid social media that makes you feel panicked.
Take a break
We all need a break sometimes. When your children are asleep, do something fun or relaxing for yourself. Make a list of healthy activities that YOU like to do. You deserve it!
Taking a pause can also be helpful when you find your child is irritating you or has done something wrong. It gives you a chance to be calmer. Even a few deep breaths or connecting with the feeling of the floor beneath can make a difference. You can also take a pause with your children!
Talking about COVID-19
Be willing to talk. They will already have heard something. Silence and secrets do not protect our children. Honesty and openness do. Think about how much they will understand. You know them best.
Be open and listen
Start by inviting your child to talk about the issue. Ask them open questions and find out how much they already know. Drawing, stories and other activities may help to open up a discussion.
Allow your child to talk freely. Most importantly, don’t minimize or avoid their concerns. Be sure to acknowledge their feelings and assure them that it’s natural to feel scared about these things.
Be honest
Always answer their questions truthfully. Think about how old your child is and how much they can understand. Use age-appropriate language, watch their reactions, and be sensitive to their level of anxiety.
Be supportive
Your child may be scared or confused. Give them space to share how they are feeling and let them know you are there for them.
You can help your children cope with the stress by making opportunities for them to play and relax, when possible. Keep regular routines and schedules as much as possible, especially before they go to sleep, or help create new ones in a new environment.
Show them how to protect themselves and their friends
One of the best ways to keep children safe from coronavirus and other diseases is to simply encourage regular handwashing. You can also show children how to cover a cough or sneeze with their elbow, explain that it’s best not to get too close to people who have those symptoms, and ask them to tell you if they start to feel like they have a fever, cough or are having difficulty breathing.
It is OK not to know the answers
It is fine to say “We don’t know, but we are working on it; or we don’t know, but we think.” Use this as an opportunity to learn something new with your child!
Heroes not bullies
Explain that COVID-19 has nothing to do with the way someone looks, where they are from, or what language they speak. Tell your child that we can be compassionate to people who are sick and those who are caring for them. Look for stories of people who are working to stop the outbreak and are caring for sick people.
There are a lot of stories going around
Some may not be true. Use trustworthy sites like UNICEF and the World Health Organization.
And finally, It’s important to know that we’re not leaving children in a state of distress. Check to see if your child is okay. As your conversation wraps up, try to gauge their level of anxiety by watching their body language, considering whether they’re using their usual tone of voice and watching their breathing.
Remind them that you care and they can talk to you anytime. Then do something fun together!
Source: https://www.unicef.org/indonesia/id/coronavirus/kiat-pengasuhan-COVID-19
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