The Coronavirus pandemic has not been easy to deal with. There are days when we’re completely drained mentally and emotionally. But, there are happy days too. It's a mix of both really! 

We adults sometimes feel that we’re “losing it” staying indoors for the past 2 years, we can only imagine how our kids must be feeling. It’s heartbreaking to miss our little one’s first day of school, new friends, the excitement for a new school bag and lunchbox and many more firsts. Online learning helps only so much. Without practical knowledge it's very difficult for a child to easily grasp things and even though we try to make things easy at home, it’s simply not quite enough. School is a crucial place for a child where they not only are educated but also learn how to be independent, the importance of teamwork, physical and extra curricular activities and also a little mischief ;) 

Closing of schools and other public places have disrupted the routine of little ones. It has also become quite difficult to focus on school work and avoid distractions. How can we as parents/caretakers help in increasing our child’s focus, improve their daily routine and take care of their mental health in total? Here are some tips in our experience as parents:

Listening to music

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Introducing music to the little ones at an early age develops their motor skills. It also helps them expand their imagination. Kids can easily mimic the sounds they hear to make sense of the world around them and of course it brings people closer and makes them happy. Music can help build an intimate connection with your little one and impact their overall happiness. 

Physical activities

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It has been proven in many studies that being active is very important to support one’s mental health. Physical activities release chemicals in our brains that make us feel good. It helps in boosting our self esteem, concentration and helps us sleep better. Therefore, it is important to make sure there’s a physical yet fun activity included in your child’s routine for a healthy and happy lifestyle. It can be a dance session or even running around the house playing catch. 

Flashcards for fun learning

Flash cards or quantum cards are a great way to introduce new topics to your little ones. Flashcards are large colourful and attractive images of items that help in boosting the photographic memory of your child. There are around 50 different ways you can use these flashcards to make the activity extremely fun.

Reducing screen time

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With the advancement of technology, toddlers can now operate gadgets better than us. They now know how to play their favourite videos on youtube, play games and most importantly they know how to unlock the gadget! The videos, scrolling and the images that we watch are the means to instant gratification and letting your child use these gadgets for more than 2 hours a day will make them addicted to it and later on very difficult to leave. Therefore, it is time to reduce their screen time and hand them toys. Sure they might crib at the beginning but eventually get used to living without a smartphone or an iPad. It will also keep them away from health issues like weakening their eyesight at an early age.

Including them in the house chores

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Toddlers love to help and get involved in activities their parents do. They love mimicking us. Including them while doing house chores for example letting them help you during laundry time, gardening or even cooking boosts their imaginative thinking and while helping us, they become the imaginative character they wish to be in their world. 

Sleeping on time

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As mentioned earlier, this pandemic has disrupted many of ours and our kids routines and schedules. Kids are now staying up late in the night due to which they don’t take their afternoon naps and it also disturbs their time of meals. Studies suggest that an afternoon nap post lunch improves their learning by boosting brain power and helps them in remembering preschool lessons better. 

Even though things might not make sense right now to you or your little one, know that it will! Slowly but surely!