Since last March when we heard about Covid, least we knew it will turn out to be a pandemic. It was affecting mostly elders and kids were carriers. As we all were fearing for our lives we stayed at home, little did we knew that it going to be a long time affair. Almost a year had gone in lockdown for people like me who care for their family and others. We still do not move out if theres no need. We still follow the rules that were set in March 2020.

We are in April 2021 and are in second lockdown in few cities. This time the Covid pandemic is not sparing anyone. Not even kids. Hence parents are more cautious now, keeping their kids caged at home. Caged ? yes I purposely wrote this word. I know parents are caring, they have no option then keeping their kids at home.

But did anyone think about the kids here? I am a mother of a 10 year young kid. I can understand what kids are going though. Yes they are feeling caged. Every kid is different, every parenting is different. I would just say keeping kids engaged might help them. Being ONLY at home, everything online might take a toll. They can loose confidence, they can feel homesick. As they are physically detached from the society it might affect their behavior.

Single kids with nuclear family gets affected the most. If kid is in a joint family, he / she has many people at home. We all have to find a way to keep kid positively engaged without they thinking that they are engaged.

  1. Artist kids can be taught new styles of drawing. We have many art forms in India, naming a few. Warli Tribal art from Maharashtra, Gond Tribal art from Madhya Pradesh, Madhubani from Bihar, Saura Tribal painting from Orissa, Santhal Tribal paintings from Bengal, Chittaras from Karnataka, Kalamkari from Tamil Nadu etc. ( Will write a different article on art forms of India )

2. Different crafts including greeting cards, Book Marks, Seed Book marks etc. You Tube can be taken for guidance as there are lots of videos available.

3. Gardening if possible. We all have enough seeds available in our kitchen to start gardening with kids. Few very easy plants to grow are Tomato, Methi / Fenugreek, Chillies, Coriander and Mustard. Tomato and Chilly are self pollinated plants so very easy to grow. ( Will write a different article on how to start gardening without stepping out of home )

4. Life Skills. This is the best time to teach various life skills to kids. Cooking, Cleaning, Washing Clothes, ( making them responsible for their cleanliness including washing clothes, keeping their things tidy etc ), Stitching if you have a sewing machine at home, sewing buttons, sewing torn clothes, Basic Embroidery, Financial knowledge including money management plus Basic banking knowledge.

5. Kids can learn dance be seeing you tube videos. They generally are glued to TV or Social Media or Internet, this can be used wisely. This will help them as kids dont go outside to play so their life had become lethargic without any enthusiasm for anything except wasting time on idiot box. This will help them learn a new skill plus will make them active. In turn they will become more enthusiastic plus positive.

6. Kids can be encouraged to write short stories, poems, comics etc and parents can take an effort to e publish them if they are comfortable. Even if its not published this will help them learn their language easily and in a fun way. This will make them more creative.

7. Kids can be encouraged to read books, comics to improve their vocabulary.

I had written here few of the things that I am already practicing since last year. Many a times kids are not in a position to express their emotions. They dont know how to express. We as parents elders have to help them. Do write and comment what else we should do in this forced quarantine moment for kids.

Veena

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