October 02, 2021
Kids being kids, they are naturally adventurous and spontaneous! They want to do what they want, how they want and when they want to, most of the time! However, it has been over one and a half years since the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted lives and livelihoods for many! It is no longer safe for the kids to roam freely outdoors.
True enough, the number of cases reported in children is far fewer than adults, and children are reportedly less susceptible to Covid-19 due to various factors such as immunity to seasonal coronaviruses, underdeveloped sinuses, and fewer comorbidities. Yet, does that mean that parents do not need to take full precautions when their kids are out and about?
ABSOLUTELY NO!
It is the parent’s responsibility to ensure that their kids are not unnecessarily exposed to the risk of infections by teaching and explaining to them the importance of face masking, social distancing in school, hand washing and personal hygiene. They may not be fully aware of the consequences of the Covid-19 infections due to limited exposure to media, hence more so they deserve to understand and learn all about it from their parents! So the question now is how to increase their awareness and make them interested to learn all about the Coronavirus?
We have compiled a list of kids-friendly resources about Coronavirus and activities you can do with your children and here's our top 4:
1) BEDTIME STORY TELLING
Simple and yet effective! Start off by narrating a story about Coronavirus, there are many interesting resources you can find online, introduce them by showing them infographics or a short cartoon video clip about the Coronavirus.
At the end of the story, invite them to ask questions and listen to their response to gauge how much they already know. Be honest with your answers and explain the truth. Be sensitive with their reactions and emotions and reassure them that you are always around to protect them.
2) HIDE AND SEEK HOME EXPLORER CAMP
MATERIAL NEEDED: MAGIC CLAY OR ANY SOFT TOYS
STEP 1: DIY Magic Clay to make at least 5-10 different shapes of Coronavirus
STEP 2: Place them at corners of the house or hide them anywhere in your house area
STEP 3: Mission is for your kids to find them, parents can make it interesting by rewarding them something each mission they accomplish
STEP 4: Make the treasure hunt more interesting by having Q&A for each find
3) DRAWING GAME
MATERIALS NEEDED: A NEON COLOR PEN THAT GLOWS IN THE DARK, COLOR MARKERS, A4 PAPER, WATER
STEP 1: Take your little one’s hand and put it onto a piece of A4 paper
STEP 2: Follow and trace your kid’s hand using a marker pen.
STEP 3: Take away the hand, and paint certain parts of their hand sketch using a neon color pen
STEP 4: Turn off the lights and show your kids how it looks when germs stay on their hands.
4) SCIENCE EXPERIMENT
MATERIAL NEEDED: PEPPER & SOAP, WATER, PLASTIC CONTAINER
STEP 1: Fill out a container with water
STEP 2: Pour some pepper into the water and make sure all the pepper fill the water surface area
STEP 3: Put some soap onto your kid’s hand and rub it all over their hands.
STEP 4: Slowly put their hands into the water container and let them see how the soap react to the pepper inside the plastic container
From this game, you can teach them the importance of personal hygiene, and by demonstrating how frequent hand washing using soap can help to fight against invisible germs and bacteria. You can also introduce Hand Sanitisers as an alternative to soap and it can be used anywhere anytime which requires no rinsing. Check out our Premium Food Grade Hand Sanitizer here.
Teaching your kids about the CoronaVirus in a meaningful way is by no means an easy task. Currently, children below the age of 12 are not offered Covid Vaccines, which puts this age group at risk.
Therefore, parents must inculcate the importance of good hygiene and social distance practices in their children. They should play a role in facilitating the task of teachers by adopting this new normal and practicing the same values at home. So why not make learning much more interesting by trying one of our top 4 activities at home today?
