Talk to your children

First thing is to explain them the need of the lockdown. My rule of parenting young kids is to ask them before telling them. Therefore ask them why do you think we need lockdown or isolation? Children shouldn’t be forced to do something, they should be made to understand the current crisis and lockdown is the need of the hour. This generation Y simply cannot be forced to follow the rules blindly as they are not going to, do whatever. Therefore it’s important that we should talk to them and explain them about the situation and also discuss on possible solutions, and what do they think about the current lockdown?

Follow a schedule

Human civilization is known for its discipline and the way of living a disciplined life. It all starts with setting up a routine not just for children but for us as well. Tell your children and make them understand that this is not a vacation and they must have fixed regime for themselves. Many schools and coaching institutes have started with their online classes, which may keep them engaged for a large part of their day. It is advisable that they have a fixed time table for different activities they can do on their own while you finish your work. Ask them to do chores like making their bed and cleaning up their rooms and cupboards. This is a golden opportunity for the parents to teach their kids the critical life skills and make them take up some age appropriate responsibility of house hold work.

Allow children to socialize with their friends online

Ask them to plan out some good activities over video calls so that they can socialize with their friends. Making study groups online can be a great way to make your kids socialize and will decrease the impact of lockdown. This should no doubt be under parental supervision, engage the parents too into such activities. This way you can keep a watch on your kid’s activities and the children may also feel freer to discuss their feeling with you.

Make the best use of time

The most difficult job for the parents is to engage the young kids. It would be really tough for a parent especially mothers of young kids to take care of them as well as do the household chores. Parents should try and get maximum work done during their naptimes. Since both parents are home, they can take turns. Good nap time for men is seven hours and for women it is eight hours. So it’s important to reduce your screen time and take good nap. This will help us to maintain the health as well.

Ponder over the use of technology

Today it’s almost impossible to keep this generation away from screen. Just count how many tech devices you have at home smartphones, tablets and gaming gadgets. In times like this it makes parents worry about the time their kids spend on screen while they struggle to keep them occupied. Don’t worry rather use digital media strategically to get you through the most difficult times of the day. Action figures, puzzles, board games are no longer the favorite toys of today’s children. Touch screens have taken over all other forms of playful delight of kids. Whatever happens, don’t try to punish your children by taking away their gadgets. The worst thing that we can do in this tough time is to deprive them off these technological advancements.
Why not ask them to develop games on their own. Ask them to learn it from YouTube, Google and make their own games. Children love to be challenged, challenge them to do some research work. Ask them to do some research on currently telecasted serials like Ramayan and Mahabharat.

Nurture a hobby

If you want to engage them into games make sure that you play with them. They enjoy playing with you as you usually don’t get enough time to do so in your normal routine life. Make use of the time available, if your goal is to bring up your child in such a way that he or she is well-balanced, well-adjusted with a broad base of knowledge then you must move away from the concept that education is only the responsibility of the school, an equal participation from parents is the need of the hour. Some kids have a passion for painting, drawing, dancing, singing or storytelling, tap that passion and then you will not have to worry about keeping them engaged rather they will engage you into their passionate lives.

Brain Storm

A brainstorming session with your own kid is a great idea, start with an idea and ask your child to explore it as much as possible. You will be amazed by their creative thinking.
It is very important to maintain positive emotions which are very beneficial for good mental health. Parents can decide to schedule game nights, video conferencing calls for their kids with grandparents (if incase the grandparents are in some other city or other place), relatives and friends.

Akhilesh Singh