4 Ways To Consciously Help Children Cope During Quarantine

Posted on Apr 13, 2020 | 0 comments

The Covid-19 quarantine has certainly changed everyone’s life, quickly. And as hard as this change has been for us, imagine how rough it has been on our littles, some of whom aren’t even really able to fully understand what is going on. Just that they can no longer go to school or see their friends in person.

Just as we need our coping mechanisms as adults, our kids need theirs too. Many of us parents are struggling to find our footing as we embrace our new normal. There are so many things changing it can become overwhelming causing a ton of anxiety in even the most organized and grounded of us!

Now imagine being your little watching your parent go through this, being cut off from your regular routines without really understanding why and remember that our children want to be just like us. So it is really important totake care of yourself during this time in order to take care of them.

We’ve talked about conscious tips to help survive the quarantine, sharing several great ways to calm your anxiety and take control back, creating your new normal. It is important to help your children with this as well. Like we talk about in thegoal setting post, breaking down larger tasks into smaller ones helps us get more done without feeling as overwhelmed.

It is also imperative to continuously remind yourself that we are dealing with a unique situation right now, a global health emergency that none of us have ever had to deal with before. So go easy on yourself, and your family.

4 Ways To Consciously Help Children Cope During Quarantine

Create a New Routine. Studies show that we are creatures of habit and routines are a source of comfort in unknown times. I have raised 4 children now. Having seasoned both highly routine periods and the occasional totally unplanned summer, I can say everyone does better when there is a routine to follow. Everyone’s routine has to change right now, so talk to your children about it and come up with a new routine that works. Continue to get dressed and eat breakfast in the morning, keep up with scheduled snack times, lunch, dinner and bedtimes. Focus on showing the kids what they can control versus what they can’t to lend some stability to very unstable times. Consistency is very important to calming anxiety in children. Help create a schedule that works for the new normal.
Mind The Rules & discipline. This is the worst part of parenting, but if we want to give our children the best start in life they have to understand that there are limitations. That actions have consequences and certain actions are not ok. So we may perhaps need to tweak our rules to the new normal, but we do need to be aware and open with our children on the new boundaries. Believe it or not, our littles take comfort in knowing their limits. So no matter how bad you feel for them with what is going on outside of our control, hang in there and be consistent with new rules and their consequences.
Keep Exercising! Just because the gyms are closed and sporting activities have been halted this is not an excuse to become a couch potato!!! We found a ton of great yoga, children’s exercise and dancing videos on Amazon Prime that have replaced PE for school, walking and bike riding is good too. Just remain 6 feet apart, at least, and wear your mask. But whatever you choose, keep exercising and getting your littles to get moving. Exercise helps cut anxiety down in children dramatically.
Help them stay connected. Whether you have a few friends that can form a cohort or utilize video chat for them to have some time with their friends, it is important for them to remain in some form of contact with their friends. A few moms and I have set up playdates for our kids via facetime. We put the phone on a stand and let them hang out for a while. My daughter just made a whole tea party while video chatting with friends the other day and they were talking and laughing for almost 2 hours. It’s important to continue to cultivate these things.

The most important thing you can do it talk to them and be aware. Just keeping the lines of communication open between you is a huge step in the right direction to consciously help children cope during quarantine.

Cheers!

Malibu Mama Loves Xx