2022 has witnessed a new wave of covid-19 around the globe. Schools have again shifted to online study in many regions. We suggest five best ways to keep your children busy and engaged at home.

As the world pass through another severe wave of covid19, we might again face complete lockdown and increased pressure on families. Online schooling has already resumed at many places. Minors get engaged during the online classes, but what next when the online school time is over? They cannot go out to play and release their frustration. Everyone does not have the luxury of big houses and joint families. People often ask, how to support my child during covid-19? Based on lessons learned, we suggest some tips for parenting during the coronavirus (covid-19) outbreak to engage your children at home.

Being child friendly; interact with your child

Take advantage of being at home and spend quality time with your children. Your interaction with children will induce social skills like respect, trust, and thankfulness. Reduce social media usage at home and get engaged with your kids in positive ways; we suggest some child-friendly ways to address covid19 below:

• Help your kids do their homework;
• Play physical and online games together;
• Develop healthy conversations with your children;
• Do minor household works together;
• Carry open conversation having eye contact with kids.

Physical activities

Staying home for long times can develop anxiety and hyperactivity in children. Start routine exercise at home and learn new workouts through YouTube training videos. Children should be helpful in daily households to their parents, ask them to make their beds, and keep the room tidy at all times. Get indoor games for your kids so that they stay physically active. Let them take short breaks during online activities. Take advantage of spare time and teach ‘Salat/Namaz’ to your children; Salat has many physical benefits.

Supporting emotional development of children by Digital connection with society

Societal interaction is necessary for the health and emotional development of human beings. Interaction with peers helps manage mental stress and gain support in difficult times. People who are socially well connected are less likely to suffer from depression & anxiety. With the arrival of Covid-19, physical interaction has reduced in many parts of the world. However, in this digital age, we are lucky enough to fill the social gap up to some extent. Keep your children connected with their grandparents, relatives, and friends by facilitating online meetups and chit-chats.

Challenge & Reward your Kids

We suggest another important parenting tip; apart from school homework, also give your children various other tasks which are helpful for their development. To grow their interest, promise some task completion rewards as well. Watch informative & interesting documentaries with them and reward them after Question & Answer sessions.

Isolation scenarios give a chance for the expatriates to get their kids connected with their native country and culture. Encourage your children to learn your mother language, social characteristics, and culture of origin. During winter vacation, we challenged our kids to learn the National anthem of Pakistan and gave them cash prizes once they completed their tasks. We saw utmost passion & zeal among them while completing such tasks.

Induce Reading habit 

The digital age has shattered the bond between books and human beings. Today, we have a great chance to revive this promising bond. Get books and encourage your offspring to develop the habit of reading. You can introduce a group reading dedicated time with questions and answers; such activities boost their confidence. Bedtime book reading is another sophisticated way to teach and develop an emotional link with your children. Buy them books and magazines that match their interests.

Get a supply of newspapers & magazines to your home and develop a reading culture. Reading will contribute positively to the intellectual development of your children and will go a long way in their life.

Supporting children during covid-19 is not easy, but let’s do it!

We live in a time of pandemics where almost everything is changed. Yes, it has been tough and challenging, yet we have to support our children during these testing times. It’s high time to mend the negative impacts of the digital revolution & social media on our kids.

Children are the future of this world. We have to come up with new solutions for novel problems. Parenting tips for engaging kids suggested above must be considered for a better tomorrow.