COVID-19 and children’s wellness
During this unusual year, in which COVID-19 has produced many effects that go beyond the disease perse. This new paradigm involves wellness in every sense of the word, because more than ever, we have to be wakeful about our physical, emotional, and mental health, no matter our age.
Imagine feeling hungry or being scared and not recognizing the feeling that is going through our body. For our children, it is so difficult, in their first years, to express and identify their emotions, and that is why they try to handle them in different ways; imagine that! It is difficult for us also, in some cases.
However, children look for possible solutions or explanations by going to adults –their parents, grandparents, brothers, etc.–, to find out how to drive stress, anxiety, or fear. They may follow our behavior in similar situations, and when they do not have the mechanisms, they do not have many options but to just cry or scream because they do not know what is going on in their body.
Why are we talking about emotions and COVID-19?
According to Unicef, during this year, children had experienced different radical changes in their routines and new situations around them overnight, that caused them different reactions such as difficulty sleeping, stomach pain, or being angry or scared all the time.
What can we do as adults to support their emotional wellness?
Set times for meals, play, watch movies, and exercise.
Use positive parenting practices, do not use violence like hitting and yelling.
Limits access to television and mobile devices. Try to practice different activities like paint, dance, and listen to music and sing to get rid of negative emotions.
Talk and listen. Ask some questions about their feelings and help them to identify how and where they feel it in their body.
Wellness is the balance in our emotional and physical dimensions; of course, during this situation, some of us feel anxious about physical health. We must not lower our guard to continue thinking, learning, and growing, for that reason, it is essential to implement a balanced diet with seasonal fruits and vegetables, practice exercises regularly, and follow the safety protocols with responsibility.
At My First Academy, we believe in an education that enhances our children’s development in all their dimensions. Also, we are committed to providing a safe environment where they can think, learn, and grow safe and happy. To take care of our kids, families, and our staff, we follow all the health disease protocols outlined in the “Health Policies and Procedure Manual” created by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC. That includes a defined protocol to handle the possible health situations and also all the self-care actions to follow in our preschool.