Instilling Social Distancing and Healthy Habits in Kids

School is just around the corner and helping your child understand staying healthy during Covid-19 is crucial, not only to keep them safe but also you and your family. Having unique ways to make sure your kid is listening to rules while you’re not around will help them to understand they need to stay safe. 

Across the country teachers have been preparing for kids to come back to school. Most of them will have tips and tricks to get the kids to stay safe. So as a parent you should be motivating your child to stay safe in order to get an education. Some easy ways to monitor if your kid is practicing healthy habits can be:

 

• Stamping the kids hands in the morning.  Then, check their hand at the end of the day to see if the stamp is washed off.  You will be able to gage how thoroughly your child has been washing their hands throughout the day.   Stepping it up, motivate them by telling them if they come home with clean hands they will have a surprise after school, switch it up to keep them interested.
• Another way to practice social distancing when they are young is to make a game of it with their classmates. If they can go all day stay apart they get a sticker and 5 stickers a week will get them a small prize. 
• Zoom meetings with friends. Depending on how you feel about letting your child and friends get together at this time, virtual playdates can be a tool to allow kids to see one another and allow them to feel less isolated in having to stay home each day. 
• What is six feet anyway?   Using physical items to show the distance can help your children understand how much of a distance they need to keep from teachers, peers, etc.
• Allowing time to talk about how they are feeling.  As a parent, taking time to allow your child(ren) to open up provides them with an opportunity to share how they are feeling. Letting your kid express how they are feeling about social distancing can provide an outlet to their frustrations.  Allowing them to share, validating their feelings and reminding them that you know this is only temporary and we will all get through this is very helpful in coping. 

This will be an interesting school year for everyone from preschool to college. We will be learning as we go, so keeping a positive attitude for your kids will allow them to feel more confident about the school year. Be creative and see what works with your kids.

Visit the Hub Handouts section for more resources on Covid-19 and come share your experiences or get answers to your challenges within our community forums!