The pandemic that has changed all of our lives in 2020 has had a profound impact on children of all ages. It’s already a tough world for children these days. Bullying runs rampant in schools and online. They have to worry about schoolwork, grades, family life, and many other things.

Add on top of this a worldwide pandemic, and children might be the age group most impacted by all that has changed these past few months. So, how can parents keep their kids healthy, both mentally and physically, during a pandemic?

Keep in Touch with Extended Family and Friends

It’s important that your child keeps in touch with extended family members and their friends. Many teachers are holding Zoom or Google Meet sessions once per week so that they can see their students and the class can interact.

This is a good idea for your family too. When the kids are able to see and interact with their grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, and any other members of the family they will have some sense of normalcy in their lives. This doesn’t have to be daily, but at least one virtual meeting per week can make a big difference.

Exercise is Key

Exercise should play a big role in keeping your children healthy during the pandemic. Don’t worry too much about screen time right now because it is inevitable since we can’t go anywhere. However, playing outside is a must.

Let them run around the yard, go for a bike ride, climb on the jungle gym, play soccer, or do anything they normally would do outside. Routine exercise not only helps your kids exert energy, but it also keeps them on a healthy track.

Take Time for Crafts

Now is a great time for your kids to enjoy some new crafts, or crafts that might take up a lot of time since you have all the time in the world now to complete them. Crafts are a great way to reduce the stress associated with the pandemic.

Your kids can paint, built castles out of popsicle sticks, color, and much more. Try to do one craft every couple of days to help your kids focus on their hand-eye coordination and break up the monotony of being stuck at home.

Let Them Cry

For some reason, crying seems to be a stigma for people of all ages. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. Let your kids cry. They miss their teachers. They miss their friends. They miss their grandparents. They miss the rest of their family.

Let your kids cry. It’s healthy. Don’t let them hold it in. The longer they do, the worse it will be once they finally let it all out. Even if they need to cry every couple of days or once a week. They are going to feel sad, especially when they can only see their friends and family members via FaceTime, Zoom, or Google Meet.

Be Honest with Them

Don’t be afraid to be honest with your children during the pandemic. You don’t have to go into detail about what is happening, but make sure they understand why they have to stay home, why they can’t see their family, and why they see people wearing masks. There’s no reason to tell a white lie. You’d be surprised at how much your child will understand when you have a conversation with them.

Keep Family Traditions

Prior to the pandemic did you have a movie night once per week? Even if it meant going to a movie theater, you should keep the tradition, just be sure to alter it. Have a movie night once per week. Let the kids pick, pop popcorn, turn the lights off and make it as enjoyable as possible.

When spring rolls around each year do you let the kids garden or do yard work? Keep this tradition. Make sure they get to plant seeds, plant their favorite flowers, help cut the lawn, and do anything else they look forward to doing each spring.

Keeping as many traditions the same during the pandemic will make it easier for your kids when they can’t be with the entire family for holidays or birthdays.

Encourage Creativity

Let your kids be creative. Let their creativity flow indoors, outdoors, and everywhere in between. They want to use empty cardboard boxes to build a fort? Great! They want to sleep in the basement while on break? Didn’t we all do that when we were kids? Let them build, make a book of their own ideas, create inventions using stem toys and encourage free play.

Set Aside Time to Talk

Now more than ever it’s important to talk to your kids every day. They likely have a lot on their minds with their lives being tossed upside down. Set aside time to talk to your kids with no distractions. Turn off the TV, the iPad, the Nintendo, and any other electronics.

Put your phone on ‘do not disturb.’ Give your child your undivided attention. Even though we are all in the same situation, life can still go by quickly. Make sure your child doesn’t think that talking to you is a punishment. Encourage them to open up about how they are feeling and explain to them that everyone is feeling the same way.

Dealing with a pandemic is new for all of us. There’s no right or wrong way to help your child live through this. At the same time, all of us adults are trying to find ways to cope with this new normal ourselves. Be open to their ideas. Let them cry. And above all else, have weekly virtual conversations with family and friends.