How COVID-19 has helped us understand our kids better

The internet is filled with articles discussing the impact of COVID-19 on our professional lives. However, not many talk about the changes in our personal life brought about by the pandemic. Family dynamics changed completely as we spent a major part of the year locked down within our homes with our family members. In this article, we will have a look at what children ended up teaching parents during COVID-19.

Also read: Five ways to workout with your family during a pandemic

Classroom learning is the best

Schools were forced to conduct classes online. But staring at a small screen and listening through headphones alone at home cannot replace the learning experience of school. It deprives the students of multisensory input, results in a lack of concentration, and reduces the child's social interaction skills. Kids get easily distracted during online lessons and prefer to skip classes rather than sit through the lecture. And as per research, classroom performance was better in three out of four assessments when compared with online classes. Thus, for proper education and learning, it can be concluded that kids need a school environment.

Also read: 3 steps to talk with kids about death in the pandemic

Nature-deficit disorder is real

Nature-deficit disorder is a concept that human beings, especially kids, are spending less time outdoors, resulting in a wide range of behavioural problems. According to behavioural scientist Richard Louv's research, children with less unstructured outdoor playtime develop many physical and psychological growth issues. For instance, they have a harder time walking on uneven surfaces, increased depression and anxiety, and less creative problem-solving skills. Thus, parents are not completely wrong when they scold their kids for spending too much time indoors and on mobile phones. So, what did parents learn? Well, to allow kids to go outside, play outdoors, and socialise. Some parents have strict restrictions regarding their kids leaving the house. They hardly allow their kids to go outside. But, if you want your kids to have normal growth, allow them to leave the house and explore the outside world.

Technology isn't that bad

Parents always complained about kids sinking their heads in their mobiles and being on the internet all day. Oh, but look at the irony! COVID-19 forced us to stay locked up in our homes, and communicating and meeting friends and family in-person became impossible. Similarly, we were also forced to use digital, technological alternatives for professional commitments.

Also read: Six ways the pandemic has changed education

But, not every adult knew how to use technology. Thus, parents were forced to learn things like making video calls, sending emails, ordering items, or paying bills online from their kids. Tasks that are simple for the digital generation are arduous for adults to understand and perform.

For instance, WhatsApp has seen a 40% increase in usage due to COVID-19 pandemic. This can be attributed to people using WhatsApp for video calling their loved ones or installing the app for their kids' online classes.

We can look at the bright side of the pandemic, where parents got to learn valuable lessons from their children. It also helped parents understand their kids better and helped strengthen the bond between them. It helped parents realise the psychological and physical needs of their child and be more proactive about it.

Text: PepperContent

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