Ways parents can keep their children engaged this pandemic-
With the lockdown getting extended further, everyone is getting restless. The novelty of many things has disappeared for both the children and the elders.
For the children, the extended vacation, online learning and the new pattern of exams sounded a lot of fun initially but now boredom has set in. This usually happens with most children. They quickly get bored and want to move on to something new, whether it is a game, an activity or a routine.
The challenge before most parents is how to keep them occupied in constructive activities and at the same time, reduce their screen time. Which means that they have to think of activities that the children would be interested in doing but the same should not involve too much of the gadget use. In this series, we will look at some of the activities that the parents can take up with their children, some which they can give children to do and some which they can do themselves while the children would observe. Here we go:
The very first thing that the parents need to do is to find out what are the child’s areas of interest. You may have already noticed it, but for the child to have more clarity on it, ask him or her to spell out the interests. Academics, sports, writing, music, dance, painting, cooking, films, fashion, drama, animals and wildlife, environment, storytelling, technology, etc. – the child could have multiple interests at one time. Talk to the child and ask which of these are very dear to him or her. Don’t be judgemental if the child names an area that you personally don’t like and don’t dismiss it, otherwise, there can be no further dialogue between you and the child on this topic in the future.
While you are busy working from home, do squeeze some time on a daily basis to do at least one activity around one interest of the child. For instance, if a child is interested in sports, give him/her a quiz to solve, a general quiz or a quiz specific to the sport that the child is interested in. You get such ready quizzes on a number of websites. If the child is artistically inclined, introduce him or her to an art every day. If the child likes languages, find out word games from books or websites and ask him/her to play it, individually or with peers.
There could be some activities which all of the family members – parents, children and grandparents, can do together. Families have been engaged in cooking, pet care, gardening, antakshari, board games for years and they are good too, but as said earlier, the newer the challenge, the more interesting it is for the child.
The next articles will take up different areas and talk about engaging the child. If children are reading this blog, they could take the initiative and do the activities with their families and peers. And yes, if you have already taken up interesting activities individually, as a family, as members of a residential society or as classroom friends, do write to us and tell us about it. It would inspire others.
Vrunda Juwale