The Corona lockdown is an unusual situation for all of us! For some children, it may be completely going over their heads, but others may be feeling a little anxious or confused by the situation. Modelling effective ways to deal with our anxiety or fears, and talking openly together are great ways to show children how to cope with negative emotions.
Author Jon Burgerman has released a lovely book about worry (specifically about Coronavirus) that can be accessed online https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/books/jon-burgerman-everybody-worries-free-ebook/
At school, we do regular ‘circle times’. These are dedicated times for children to take turns talking about a topic that is relevant at the time. Often children will come out with quite profound and thoughtful comments that they may not have voiced before.
This week we have included some activities that you may wish to do at home, to initiate and encourage talking about their feelings and emotions during this unusual time... we hope you find them helpful!
Emotion matching - This is a simple activity to encourage your child to discuss different emotions. Often when you ask children how they (or a character) are feeling they will say ‘happy’ or ‘sad’ – it’s great to arm them with more vocabulary so they can effectively express how they are feeling at different times!
These prompt cards are a great way to initiate a discussion about different topics around Coronavirus.
Finally, help them express their feelings through talking about the questions provided. Encourage them to draw, paint, scribble or describe their answer – different children prefer to express their ideas in different ways so remember this is not an art or writing task, just a way for them to express themselves.
If you would like any more ideas or suggestions on how to support your child in this uncertain time, please do let us know!
For information about Coronavirus in child-friendly form the Newsround website is a great place to find videos. Watch any videos yourself first to make sure you feel the content is appropriate and beneficial for your child: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround#more-stories-2