7 parenting tips to prepare children post lockdown

Parenting has seldom faced challenges of these sorts like we do in the post-pandemic world! As if we all are under house arrest during lockdown months but we can at least rationalise the restrictions unlike our children.

Children are facing multiple challenges. Their natural social life is in shambles. The normal learning curve has taken a nosedive.

The tender minds of children are anxious, nervous and utterly confused. How can we help them calm the mind?

Sandwiched between guilt and worry, we wonder how the little ones will cope with the crisis! Is there a way out?

Here are top 7 parenting tips to prepare children for the world, post-lockdown:

Tip 1: Face masks are not a fad

Face masks are life-saving. Even fully vaccinated people should wear face masks and practice social distancing. 

While the world is gearing up for vaccines, the under 18 generation is beyond this safety net. Hence, parents cannot take any chances.

The skills of positive parenting will undergo a litmus test when we switch-on a strict face mask mode outside our homes. Children may protest very often about suffocation! Staying strong is the only option left to us.

Though face masks should be worn outside without a miss, there are exceptions when they are compulsory inside our homes too. For example, our household helps and we should wear face masks while the former stay in with us.

Tip 2: Face masks while playing sports

The extension of lockdown days are increasing the popularity of games to play at home with family. As per the guidelines of WHO or the World Health Organisation, children shouldn’t wear face masks while playing or doing physical exercises.

The reasons are as follows:

1. Face masks impede breathing while running, jumping, doing yoga or exercise.
2. Insufficient oxygen during exercise impacts the normal functioning of muscles.
3. People suffer from muscle fatigue.
4. Face masks enhance the formation of sweat during physical exertion.
5. Sweat promotes the breeding of microbes.

Good parenting ensures the maintenance of 1-metre distancing while our children play outside. Both inside and outside, we should encourage the habit of hand hygiene. 

Tip 3: Don't miss hand sanitisation

Hand sanitisation is a must for all ages. Guide children to thoroughly rinse their hands with mild soaps for 20-seconds at least.

Stop children from touching their faces with their hands every now and then. Putting unsanitized hands inside the mouth is a strict no, no.

Inculcate the healthy habit of carrying mild hand sanitisers for tender and sensitive skin. 

Tip 4: Steps for a healthy mind

Perhaps the pandemic is a boon in disguise for teaching us the importance of mental health. As we are working from home, we are sharing more family time together. Let’s grab the opportunity to practice the following steps: 

1. Encourage children to share their feelings.
2. Give them our undivided time and attention.
3. Listen to their ideas and suggestions.
4. Encourage their creativity.
5. Enroll them to yoga and meditation classes.
6. Participate in shared hobbies.
7. Be a playmate to children.

Tip 5: Bridge the post-pandemic learning gap

The pandemic has brought unprecedented changes to the world of learning. However, it has fast-paced digital learning. Encourage children to explore the knowledge hub, the internet.

Let them ask more questions. Engage in enquiry-based interactions. Fuel their imaginations. Motivate them to use their own ideas to solve problems.   

We can use lockdown days to nurture the good habits of reading in our children. 

Tip 6: Reconnecting with friends

Though it may look difficult, our children can reconnect with their friends more easily and quickly than we thought they would! More so, if we are already practicing the following steps:

Virtual playdates can meet online, twice or so every week. However, don’t let children take the screen-time limits for a ride.

Let’s revisit our childhood days. Encourage children to write letters to their friends. Waiting for replies never loses the charm. 

A pandemic book club for children is the safe and educational way to bond with friends. Children can select a book and fix the date by which they finish reading.

They can schedule regular meets online to share their views on the book or just to have a chit-chat.       

Tip 7: Get back to social life with baby steps

Avoid huge gatherings. COVID safety protocols are here to stay for many years. Discuss it with children. Don’t let the pandemic fatigue catch us off-guard!

Post-lockdown, take children to the homes of relatives and friends. Children can spend quality time with grandparents during lockdown months. 

Innovative yoga and meditation processes for kids can upskill them and help them make new friends. 

The silver lining    

Potential losses with respect to learning and the overall development of human capital is yet to be fully estimated. However, the top 7 tips shared above will help you bring back children to a normal world, very soon.

Don’t miss to explore the treasure trove of yoga and meditation for your children.