By Kavitha Soundararajan, Lecturer cum Program Leader, School of Education
COVID-19, the deadly virus which had started attacking our world last December, has shaken the world with its enormous death rates, fear and inability to carry out daily routines. Children are not spared too as most of the children have lost their daily routine since the MCO started in Malaysia.
The question is, how much are they affected?
According to one young parent whose children go to an international school here, learning has not been the same for her children. She is a working mom and is unable to pay much attention to her children while they are attending their classes. Many parents have also refused to bring their children outside due to the CMCO. Research has shown that it is safe to stay outdoors, just not in a crowded environment. We can still take precaution while bringing our children to parks and other outdoor areas to play and exercise. Such exercises are good for them as it will strengthen and build their immunity.
So what can we do for our children?
Instead of having them holed up at home and having them play with gadgets all day long; why don’t we, as parents or caretakers, allocate some time for our children’s wellbeing? Here are some simple activities that we can do to spend time with them:
1. Biking
Now is the best time to teach your kids to ride the bicycle while the road is still fairly empty. Or, if your child already knows how to ride a bicycle, go ahead and have fun cycling around the neighbourhood.
2. Take Story Time Outside
Outdoor storytime is the perfect opportunity for you to bring your stories to life using outdoor elements! Grab a blanket, make some snacks, and head out to your backyard or porch to create your unique storytime experience with your children.
3. Nature Walk
With MCO, the decrease in the level of environmental pollution is evident to us all. Now that we get to enjoy brighter skies and cleaner streets, let’s have a family nature walk to let our children explore the nature that is around them.
4. Kick a Ball
As parents, it’s ideal that we take a break while working from home and help our kids get their daily dose of activity. We know that swimming pools and playgrounds are still off-limits, but something simple like football or badminton should keep our children entertained and engaged.
We hope you enjoyed this article and will go on to make some plans with your children!
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