The coronavirus is impacting on everyone’s lives in different ways but especially children.
School is out and their routine has changed. They are missing their friends, teachers, playtime, and perhaps even missing maths and English. They are now bouncing in front of the TV every morning with some guy with curly hair called Joe and listening to bedtime stories read by celebrities.
Their lives have been turned upside down.
Many children embrace being at home but sibling relationships become strained. They are fighting for their parent’s attention while they take part on conference calls or run errands for vulnerable relatives. The novelty is wearing off and families are realising this isn’t a holiday and there’s no end date.
How children understand and feel about the current pandemic is often unknown to us ‘grownups’ as we are so busy juggling life we forget to see things from their point of view.
Finlay is 7, as part of his crafting activities he decided to make a robot from a cardboard box (very inventive). He spent hours cutting and painting with his parents and enjoyed the quality time with his family.
When asked what the robot was called and what he was made for, Finlay said:
“This is the Coronabot. I created him to help keep people safe and his special power is making people stay two meters apart.”
Finlay went on to talk about what people need to do and how he feels about the outbreak:
“If you go too near each other, or coughed on your hands then played tig and touched someone else you could spread the germs and that wouldn’t be nice because you could make someone else poorly.
I feel sad about the coronavirus because people are poorly and having to stay at home and children can’t see their grandparents or their parents if they are poorly.
People need to stop getting too close to each other and stay 2 metres away so no one else gets poorly and misses their family.
I am having fun spending time with my family and playing games, playing in the garden, walking the dogs, reading books, watching TV, colouring and writing stories. All these things are safe and won’t spread any germs to anyone else.”
Finlay, aged 7.
Taking the time to talk to your kids about this in a simple way that is comforting is important. Listening to how they understand the situation could teach is all a few. They are part of this too.
A 7 year old understands the need and importance for physical distancing do you?
Have your children put anything in place to help people keep their distance?