We find ourselves in exceptional times, never have we experienced a shared global experience that has such a profound effect on our collective psyches as the global pandemic – Covid-19.
As we start to emerge from an alternative way of living from the last 14-months and look to return to a new normal, anxieties about returning to ‘life’ and socialising in our post-Covid-19 world are only natural.
As adults we have all found the pandemic challenging in one way or another, whether that’s a job, health, childcare, or financial concerns, we’ve all been affected in some way. However, our children have had to not only process coming to grips with a global health crisis with the fears and emotions that brings, they have also had to deal with the continued disruption to schooling and extracurricular activities, as well as not being able to see family and friends outside of school. It’s been a long road for us all, especially so for our children.
As we know, early social interaction is super important for a child’s development of language skills, confidence, empathy, creativity, and communication, all of which has been limited. But do not fear, It is also important to keep remembering that children are more resilient than we think.
With nurseries and schools returning to normal, your child will be getting back into their socialising groove, but here are other ways you can help your child feel confident and excited about social interaction of all types.
Here is Happy Confident Kids Top 5 tips to increase confidence in socialising for kids after the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions:
● Plan fun outdoor social activities around Covid-restrictions easing
Embrace the benefits of nature, why not plan a few hours out with friends and family you haven’t seen in a while. You could arrange a few games to keep the children and extended family engaged and reconnecting. This could be a bean bag race, a game of rounders or a nature hunt.
● Unlock feelings with a creative writing or a drawing task
Sometimes talking about difficult subjects can be upsetting and hard to broach. If you set your child a creative writing task such as a letter about how I’m feeling’ with ‘I have been feeling this way because…’ or ‘Draw the things you have missed doing or seeing the most during Covid-19’. For older children you could ask then to write about ‘Who are you most looking forward to seeing after the lockdown restrictions are lifted?’ – you’ll be surprised at some of the thoughts and creativity associated and I’m sure also you’ll both start to realise there are many silver linings to the pandemic.
● Engage in new activities
We all tend to get stuck in a rut from time to time. Maybe your child has been attending the same drama group or sports event for several years. Is there a new activity or group they may find the prospect of joining exciting? This is also a great way of building confidence as it forces the happening of new friendships and interactions.
● Be ready with facts and information
An honest, realistic, and optimistic set of facts is always handy to quell fears – examples of these could include:
concerns around the vaccine:
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over 30 million people have had the jab in the UK (at time of publication, April 21) that’s just under half the population. With less than 1% of people becoming unwell and dying, meaning the vaccines are very safe.
Concerns of meeting up with grandparents:
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Those over the age of 70 were considered the most vulnerable, but now all have been offered and most have had one or both Covid-19 jabs. This doesn’t mean we can hug our grandparents just yet, but it gives them greater protection when we meet up outside.
● Consider a confidence and resilience building workshop
Happy Confident Kids run fun national workshops for different key stages, and we can create a workshop for your network of parents and children. We cater to all age groups – from 5+ with our ‘Confidence and Happiness Academy’ all the way up to 16 with our ‘Unleash Your Inner Power!’ Teen workshops. In group settings, these can prove a really nice way of reengaging with peer groups and restoring confidence. These can be run in or outside of school.
To find out more about our workshops call 0333 358 0390 or say hello@happyconfidentkids.com