Coronavirus: How to mind your child’s mental health during distance learning

Dubai: We are done with the first two weeks of remote learning across schools in the UAE, and children are now waking up to the new reality of being on their own without peers and outside of their familiar school routines.

Also with restaurants and cafes closed, all events cancelled, no films running in theatres, malls shut, leaving home is not allowed unless it’s essential for food and groceries and medical necessities.

While for younger kids, the change in routine can be disturbing, for older children the constant news and anxiety about coronavirus can affect their mental health.

Mental health practitioners, school counselors, and early learning experts in the UAE agree that these are unprecedented times and as we embrace the new ways of living and learning, it’s is a good time to look inward and prioritise our emotional wellbeing. In a letter to parents, the Dubai English Speaking School (DESS) has urged parents to take time to talk and connect to kids across all age groups.

UK qualified Mindfulness Teacher and Family Therapist, Joanne Jewell, who works with children, adolescents and parents in Dubai, says, parents should closely watch out for any significant change in behavior, such as withdrawal from the family, seeming angry for no reason, change in appetite or sleep or energy levels.

With many examinations being cancelled, rescheduled or indefinitely postponed, it can be a very confusing time for adolescents, especially the older ones who would be preparing for universities in September. “Many adolescents will be feeling a sense of grief right now – for end of year events they thought would happen at school this year and for not getting to spend enough time with friends. Being online doesn’t replace being physically in the company of their peers and they do miss this social aspect.”

For parents who have gardens in their homes, Valrani encourages them to take the kids out for a nature walk in their own backyards. “Walk around in your garden with your kids. It’s amazing what you can find among leaves and ants and beetles.” She urges parents to keep their stress at bay and not try to fit in all activities in a day.

Jewell says for toddlers, parents can definitely rearrange the furniture in their rooms to create a space for them where they be messy. “Engage them with play dough, water and colours. Include some movements like running up and down the stairs, dancing, jumping around, just to keep them happy.”

For adolescents, however, she agrees that it can get tricky and it’s okay for parents to acknowledge that everything is not ok. Most kids would miss school, but “there are children and adolescents who find school stressful and have challenging relationships with their peers at school. Some of them have experienced bullying at school or feel anxiety every morning before going to school. For these kids, it might be a sense of relief not to be around other kids. But under the current circumstances we are in in now, it might require them to develop additional skills to ‘socialise’ online and this may be challenging for parents too!” says Jewell.

There is also the five to 10 age group that Jewell mentions where anxiety can peak. “This age group might have a lot of questions for you, so be careful as parents what you share with them and how many times you check the news,” she advises.

The Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families in the UK ran a study on how young people could help themselves through self-care, which included mindfulness, spending time alone, listening to music or spending time with a pet. Here is what they heard: