Harding Academy
APRIL 2020
Melissa Canterbury, School Counselor
COVID-19 SPECIAL EDITION:
Support for
Parents and
Children
Your children’s world has changed
dramatically over the course of just a
few weeks. They’re home from school,
missing their friends and activities, wor-
ried about what’s happening in the news—
and unsure of when life will return to normal.
As a parent, you may feel overwhelmed and uncertain about what to
do. Use this guide as a starting point for supporting your youngsters Editor’s note: Guidelines are changing rapidly. Make sure to
follow all local, state, and federal laws and recommendations
emotionally and academically during the coronavirus pandemic. on social distancing and other practices when using these ideas.
Boost well-being
Your children are likely experiencing conflicting emotions.
(they can color the inside with crayons or markers). A blan-
They’re probably happy to be home with you—but bored
ket might be a cape, a tent, or an island.
because they can’t go anywhere or have anyone over. Here are
ways to keep life as close to normal as possible. Enjoy the great outdoors. Spending time in nature is a
proven stress reliever. Take family walks and observe ani-
Find the positives. Look for bright moments each day. For
mals, trees, and flowers along
instance, maybe you’re not commuting to your job right now,
the way. Plant a garden.
so you have time before work to snuggle up and read with
Try stargazing at night
your youngster. Or perhaps a family birthday party was can-
or bird-watching in
celed, but now even people who live far away can celebrate
the daytime. Have
with you … via video chat.
picnics in the
Stay physically active. Go for runs or bike rides, and play backyard or on
backyard games. Have everyone put on comfortable clothes your balcony.
and gather in front of the TV or computer for a free fitness
Do for others.
class. Try a site like youtube.com/user/CosmicKidsYoga or
Thinking of others
lesmills.com/us/workouts/youth-training/. Your child’s dance
gets your children
or martial arts classes may even be continuing online.
outside of thinking about the situation they’re in. They might
Encourage play. Children need plenty of time to play — make cards for people who are working hard to help us,
and this is especially true in difficult such as nurses, doctors, and paramedics. They could also
circumstances. Pull out old use chalk to draw pictures and leave uplifting messages on
toys they may not have the sidewalk for delivery truck drivers and mail carriers.
played with in a while.
Manage family time. Being together 24/7 and unable to
It’ll be like getting brand-
leave your home can cause tension among family members.
new toys! They can also
Encourage siblings to play separately when they’ve had
turn household items
enough of each other’s company. Also, it’s healthy for par-
into toys. A cardboard
ents to have some time to themselves, so relax with a cup of
box could become a
coffee before your child wakes up, or plan at-home date
bear cave, a school
nights with your spouse.
bus, or an art studio
continued
Home & School CONNECTION ®
© 2020 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated
COVID-19 SPECIAL EDITION: Support for Parents and Children Page 2
Reduce anxiety Learning and working from home
It’s normal for youngsters —and adults — to feel stressed When your children do schoolwork at home, you may
when their schedules change or life is unpredictable. Con- wonder what your role is, especially if you’re working
sider this advice for helping your children cope. remotely, too. Keep in mind that teachers don’t expect you to
homeschool your youngsters — but you can offer support and
Provide reassurance. Having some control over a situa-
encouragement, just as you would with regular homework.
tion can limit anxiety. Talk to your child about what your
Here’s how.
family is doing to stay safe—and to help others be safe.
Examples include washing Get set up. Have your child find
hands often, staying at home, “office space” and gather sup-
and social distancing (staying plies. She’ll need to work in an
at least six feet away from area without background
people who don’t live with noise and where she won’t
you). disturb you if you’re work-
ing, too. If she’s participat-
Stick to routines. Stick
ing in classes online, make
to your youngster’s regular
sure she logs in on time — a
bedtime and wake-up times.
few minutes early is ideal in
Also, encourage her to dress
case there’s a glitch. She should
in regular clothes. If she asks
close browser windows and tabs and put away devices she’s
to stay in pajamas, consider
not using for school.
setting aside a special PJs day
each week. Wearing daytime clothes on other days will con- Create offce hours. Help your youngster make a schedule
tribute to a sense of normalcy. And plan regular mealtimes that includes class time and independent work time. If
rather than letting everyone snack all day. you’re working from home, let him know what your hours
are. Schedule a lunch break and a snack break so you can eat
Limit access to news. It’s important to stay informed, but
together. Fun idea: Ask your child to make and decorate signs
news coverage can make children feel anxious. Keep the
with office hours for each of you. He’ll be proud of his signs
news off, and set certain times each day to check for updates.
and may pay more attention to the “posted hours.”
If you have a young child, you might consider tuning in only
after he goes to bed. Offer assistance. Try to be available in case your youngster
gets stuck with her work. If she needs help during your office
Keep reading! hours, she could write you a note. Then, provide help when
you can take a few minutes away. Tip: Show interest by ask-
Reading every day is one of the best ways for your child ing what she’s learning and looking over her work.
to keep up skills in all subjects. Try these ideas:
● Set aside time each day to read with your youngster. You Stay in touch
could enjoy favorites from your bookshelves and also Combat social isolation while you are social distancing. Use
download e-books from the public library. Encourage him these suggestions for staying in touch with family and
to choose a variety—fiction, nonfiction, poetry, biographies, friends via Skype, FaceTime, or other video-chat platforms.
how-to books, and more. Let him pick books he can read Spend time with relatives. Invite grandparents, uncles,
on his own as well as more challenging ones for you to read aunts, and cousins to participate in family game nights. It’s
aloud to him. fun—and it helps to reduce loneliness, especially for people
● Together, watch authors, teach- who live alone. Play charades, Pictionary, or name-that-tune.
ers, and librarians read aloud Hang out with friends. Encourage your child to plan
online. (Try storylineonline.net online get-togethers. It will feel great for classmates to see
or search YouTube for “read each other in real time! They could perform a concert by
alouds.”) Then, suggest that singing or playing instruments. Or they might make up
your child make her own dance routines. Another idea is to hold a craft party —they
story-time videos — com- can chat while crafting (making jewelry, knitting) and share
plete with props or puppets. their works-in-progress with each other.
Home & School CONNECTION ®
Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated ■ 128 N. Royal Avenue, Front Royal, VA 22630 ■ 800-394-5052 ■ www.rfeonline.com
© 2020 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated
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