The Covid-19 pandemic has been a tough and confusing time for all of us, especially our children. Out of nowhere, kids have had to take months off school and have had to spend a lot of time at home. They have had to get used to online lessons and learn to motivate themselves at home away from their friends. Considering the circumstances, children have done a great job of adapting to this temporary new normal, but as the new school year approaches, they are going to have to get back into their old routine (with a twist).
Whether you are a parent or a teacher, the government guidelines for Covid-19 have been confusing and difficult to follow. There is also some confusion about the rules that surround children going back to school. However, during this pandemic, we have learned a lot about the virus and ways to protect ourselves and others from catching it. That’s why today we will be looking at what you can do to protect children from catching the virus when they are back at school.
Basic Education
School is all about educating children, so teaching them how to protect themselves and others during their time at school is important. Older children will most likely be more aware and will already understand the things that they need to do to protect themselves from the virus. This will work to your advantage and you will be able to educate them more about the science behind these methods of protection, which will encourage them to follow the rules and improve their knowledge of the virus. For younger children, you will need to think of fun and creative ways to help them to remember how to keep themselves and others safe.
Hygiene Practices
Both teachers and parents can teach their children how to maintain high levels of hygiene and protect themselves from the virus. One of the best ways to keep yourself and others safe is to wash your hands regularly with soap, to the song ‘Happy Birthday’. Younger children may need more encouragement to keep their hands clean and to keep objects away from their mouths, so adults will need to guide them. Teaching children how to wash their hands is important too. This is to ensure that they fully cover all areas of their hands when washing them. This will reduce the risk of the virus surviving and being ingested or being passed on accidentally.
Hand Sanitiser
As you can see, encouraging children to keep their hands clean is very important before they go back to school. Washing your hands all the time can be a nightmare and it doesn’t stop younger children from putting their hands into their mouth. To make keeping your hands clean more convenient, schools and parents should make alcohol hand sanitiser readily available. As well as being accessible, it will discourage kids from putting their hands into their mouth. Galleon Supplies have plenty of different options for alcohol hand sanitiser and other hand cleaning products for a great price. These can be bought in bulk, will be delivered quickly, and come highly recommended.
Social Distancing
Social distancing is one of the rules that we have all had to follow since Covid-19 appeared. Keeping your distance as an adult is much easier to understand and hopefully, it is something that children have noticed and picked up when they have been out and about. Teachers can encourage social distancing in classrooms by placing the tables and sitting children far apart. Lunch monitors can keep an eye on interaction during lunchtime. Enforcing social distancing as a parent will be close to impossible, but you can speak to the school and question the restrictions that they will be putting in place to keep the children safe. You can also tell your children to do their best to keep their distance.
Healthy Habits
There are a number of healthy habits aside from washing hands that should be promoted when kids return to school. For example, parents should be feeding their children healthy food and vitamins to make them healthier and boost their immune system. Making everyone wash their hands before they eat is vital. Teachers should be encouraging children to bring in their own lunches and follow healthy habits outside of the classroom. Face masks are not a rule, but if there are kids in school that feel more comfortable wearing one, then school staff should make sure they are available and should teach those that wear them how to dispose of them.
Keeping calm during this time is important. Whether you are a teacher or a parent, the children in your care will be looking up to you for advice and support during their time back to school. There is a difference to teaching them how to be safe and making them feel panicked, so finding this balance and sticking to it is crucial during these confusing and worrying times.
