Helping Children During Lockdown

If you have young children at home, then their little worlds have changed dramatically almost overnight, and this can be scary and unsettling for them. I’ve put together some tips to help you get through this period of time at home with your children, to help support your families too. Don’t feel as if you should do all of these, pick and choose any that might help you.

1. Don’t put soo much pressure on yourselves to be perfect. This is a time we have not experienced before and we are all getting through it the best we can. Remember if today feels heavy, tomorrow is a fresh start.
2. Sleep. This one is so important for everyone. Good sleep practices will help to make your days brighter, as we cannot function well on lacklustre sleep! It will improve mood, and help you have a more positive mindset. Make sure you have regular bedtimes and try to wake at the same time each day. With little ones, sleep can be hard to pin down though, so just do the best you can. 
3. Children need physical affection, more so in an unsettling period of their lives. Make sure you physically connect with them daily – hugs, holding hands are perfect for this.
4. Routine. Children thrive with routines and boundaries in place, even simple ones like getting dressed each day and going to bed at the same time (with their usual bedtime routine) will help them feel secure as they understand what is coming.
5. Gratitude – This is a good one to try and incorporate into your day, even with very small children. Sit down with a pen/pencil and paper and write 3 things each day you are grateful for. For smaller children you could start with one thing that they have enjoyed, which they can draw. Writing/drawing the things you are grateful for has shown to be more effective than just thinking it. This is a nice little activity during settling at night.
6. Downtime is important, to process emotions and what is happening within the world, both for caregivers and children alike. Half an hour reading, or watching a favourite TV show is good.
7. Ignite your child’s passions! This is a great time to check in and release some of their imagination. If you are finding older children hard to motivate for school work, chat with them and find what they like, and adapt activities that are connected to their passions, you’ll find them much more likely to want to take part.
8. If you find yourself in a battle of wills with your children, remember to get down to their level, and keep your voice steady and at a normal tone. When talking, humans match their tone to the person they are talking to, so if one person is raising their voice the other will mimic and it may end with everyone shouting. 
9. Don’t be pulled into imposter syndrome. Every family situation is individual, and how we all deal with it will be different too. If you need to, have some time away from the internet to ease any worries you are having, or limit your scrolling to a short time everyday.

‘We are not all in the same boat, but we are weathering the same storm’. Never a truer word said. Take care, and we hope to see you all back at our markets soon.

Written by Clare our Portsmouth and Fareham Organiser. Pop over and follow her on Instagram

Other posts you might like Happy Confident Me Journal and Celebrating A Birthday in Lockdown