COVID –Also a big challenge for kindergartners

Amidst all the chaos and havoc created by the pandemic, all businesses and families getting back to the “new normal”, one of the unattended section of the society at large remains the preschoolers and their education. Homeschooling, as you may call it, to be precise, is the new trend amongst the young parents and to cope up with the new normal has really been abnormal to adapt. Not only children, but also the educators took a nice time to adapt to such a method of remote teaching. In country like ours, where “GURU-DEVO-BHAVA” has been followed since ages, the Guru and Shishya have been put distance apart and they meet virtually to impart and imbibe on concepts.

What had been earlier a fun and joyous part of these tiny tots’ lives, have turned into a forceful imbibition of concepts with a hindered guidance. But what other option do we all have? The globally competitive curriculum puts high demand on development of preschoolers in terms of their cognitive skills, emotional and social adaptations, physical and physiological aspects. Parents have become their mentors, guide and peers too, to engage them in activities apart from their screen time. Who would have thought that the parents who were always apprehensive about too much screen time had to engage them more just to have them attend school over apps like ZOOM, GOOGLE MEET, TEAM, etc.

Going with the flow, many parents and educators have been helping the children to cope up with their online classes and managing their concentration time span over the screen. A child, addicted to mobile phones and television, happily watches cartoons and listens to music for hours and hours but when told to attend the school, hardly sits for few minutes. Then what can really be done, to enhance their focus and concentration during the classes? Here are a few suggestions for parents to implement and educators to suggest in their classes:

• A child should have an adequate amount of sleep before they take the classes online. This has to be followed by a strict rule of not watching any screen one hour before sleep and one hour after the child wakes up.
• Food- With not much going on, there are very strong food cravings. While it is okay to give in every now and then, it’s absolutely essential to have a healthy diet on a regular. Consume a lot of seasonal fruits and vegetables- this will help with immunity as well.
• Adhering to a routine at home will help the child be disciplined. Adding to the routine of offering water to the sun daily, helps in increasing the focus. Meditation, in the form of Om Chanting can also be adopted.
• Award them in a way that doesn’t spoil them. Don’t buy them gifts, toys etc, if they complete their task, rather shower them with your time and affection, make them their favorite food, paint with them, be a part of their world.
• Put on some music and exercise with them daily. A healthy mind resides inside a healthy body should be the aim, this would help them keep away from distractions.
• Don’t go for rote learning at this age. Find activities and games that help build their vocabulary, concepts and memory.
• Don’t use “NO” connotations with them. Try to be manipulative with your child by using positive language to send your message. Praise is the best form of feedback you can give your child. Understanding they are struggling as well can help.

This age shall not come back, these times shall pass and we will adapt to the new normal, but what will remain behind is the effort that we will put at this age, with the help of educators, to bridge the gap that will otherwise become so wide, that we will have to repent over for times to come.

Sadhvi Bathla Director and Principal Horizons The School. Ghaziabad