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Home schooling in lockdown is rough. You might be tempted to create a minute-by-minute schedule to maximise your child’s learning. Or have high hopes of science experiments, and art projects. But here’s the thing...
Our kids are just as confused and worried as we are right now. Not only can they hear everything that is going on around them, they’re also picking up on our tension and anxiety. They have never experienced anything like this before, neither have we.
Over the coming weeks, you might see an increase in behaviour issues. These may be driven by underlying anxiety, anger or frustration that things aren’t how they normally are. We as adults are feeling these feelings too. There will be meltdowns, tantrums, and oppositional behaviour. This is normal and expected under these circumstances.
What our kids need right now is to feel your comfort and love. They need reassurance that it’s all going to be okay. This might mean giving up on your highly educational home-schooling visions. Or, if you were struggling to get the basics done – do not worry! What our kids need now is love, cuddles and kindness.
Bake cakes and paint pictures. Play board games and watch movies. Do an online tour of the Louvre or find virtual field trips of the zoo. Snuggle under warm blankets and do nothing. Don’t worry about them regressing in school. Every single kid is in this boat and they will be ok.
If I can leave you with one thing, it’s this: at the end of all of this, your kids’ mental health will be more important than their academic skills. What they will remember of this time is not the math formulas or the dynamics of the solar system. They will remember how they felt, they will remember that you made them feel safe and loved.
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