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All play and no school
June 23, 2020
Letting children play during lockdown will alleviate stress in both parents and children
The United Nations has described the disruption to education caused by the pandemic as ‘unparalleled’. At the virus’ worldwide peak in April, it is estimated that over 90% of all enrolled learners, from kindergarten to bachelors and beyond, had their education affected by school closures and the pandemic (UNESCO).
For many university students and older children, they have had to adapt quickly to online learning. They can keep in touch with their peers and teachers online and continue their studies, albeit in a highly modified way. As challenging as this may be, this experience will help equip them for a future that is increasingly online.
For parents of younger children, they are assuming a new role: their child’s home school teacher. This is in addition to their usual childcare and household duties, their work responsibilities and often emotional and financial worries caused by the pandemic. Stressful? Yes. The good, and somewhat surprising, news? The experts advise that you don’t teach your children - at least not in the way you might expect.
Don’t Recreate the 6 hour Day
Routine is important for children so it is still advisable to abide by your family’s schedule but you don’t need to plan 6 hours of highly-structured lessons. For young children, expecting them to read, write and sit still for 6 hours is firstly, impossible and secondly, beyond their developmental stage. When children are at school, they are taught by experts! Teachers know how to balance time at the desk with play and opportunities for social and emotional learning, alongside literacy and numeracy! For both the parents and children, recreating the school day at home will add stress to an already difficult and turbulent time. Professor Helen Gillespie, professor of learning and teaching at UAE, suggests that children should dedicate 1-3 hours a day to school work but stresses the importance of quality time. One hour of quality practice that the child enjoys is far more beneficial than 3 hours of forced and stressful practice!
New Rules
These are unprecedented times and it is likely to have caused massive shifts in your family’s routine. Old household rules and routines have likely gone out of the window. But that’s okay! Lie-ins and extra screen time might have crept in but you and your family can create new rules that suit your current schedules.
The Importance of Play
The best advice for parents with children at home is just to let them play. Unstructured play allows children to explore the world on their own, learn how things work and, if there are other children at home, understand and build relationships. Parents can also facilitate simple structured activities that help develop your child’s creativity, such as baking, crafting and playing sports. These activities also help your child develop their hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills in engaging ways. They don’t have to be expensive or complicated to get your child active and engaged!
You can also turn to screens to help facilitate play. From educational videos and songs to video games, there are plenty of resources suitable for children available. The screen isn’t always the bad guy! Scriba and its range of complimentary apps
have been specially developed to provide stimulating and educational activities for young hands. Our app Scriba Snap improved key aspects of visual motor performance in children involved in our study in collaboration with Trinity College Dublin. Our other apps, such as A is for…, guide educational activities and provide an engaging, multisensory learning experience for kids! We explore screen time and children’s development further on our blog Not All Screens Are Developed Equal.
Time to Talk
For those of us lucky enough to be spending more time with our family and not working on the frontlines, we have an incredible opportunity to sit down and really talk with our children. Ask your child genuine questions and allow them to lead study and play. It may also be a great time to sit and discuss the pandemic, and other difficulties facing society today, in whatever way you choose. By genuinely conversing with your child, as opposed to adopting the speech style of a teacher, you develop their conversational skills, their socio-emotional skills and stimulate their thoughts.
In stressful situations, the best predictor of how a child will react is how their parents do - reducing pressures and relaxing rules will have benefits for your whole family. Remember that development and learning is not something that only happens in the traditional classroom! Reading, playing or even getting your child involved in daily chores will keep them developing during this time away from school. Use this time to help your child build positive study habits and an enjoyment of learning.
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