In over 100 countries, schools have been closed to stop the spread of coronavirus, leaving 1 billion children to be homeschooled or attend classes remotely. Many parents do not have a choice but to play a more active role in their children’s education while they attend school from home. It’s a change for both parents and their kids but it’s also an opportunity to not only positively influence their children’s development but also bring the family closer together in the time of crisis.
Moms are busier than ever since everyone being home means moms have to work around the clock. However, they should also take some time for themselves, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, and actually invest in their personal development which is for the benefit of the entire family.
1. Child Education
Many experts believe that higher parental involvement in the education of the children results in higher competence levels across a range of academic and social skills. Whether your kids are homeschooled or not, understanding best educational tools and practices that can be more effective for your children’s learning style will be greatly beneficial to their academic progress. Courses in early childhood education can help parents build a plan for how they’ll better guide their children through the school system to set them up for success. Keep in mind that this type of education is not only about their academic success but also about personal happiness in terms of their ability to form more meaningful connections with others.
Parents influence the child’s learning habits, intellectual curiosity and behavioral patterns in so many ways they don’t even recognize. They learn social cues and appropriate responses to those cues from their parents and other ‘authority’ figures. Understanding how your children may model their behaviors and beliefs after you and how you can influence them to be respectful and intellectually curious beings is a great idea for parents with kids of any age. A more strategic approach to parenting can also have immediate benefits now for making what could be a tense environment during a COVID-19 lockdown into a memorable and appreciative experience.
2. Fitness and Diet
A recent survey indicated that 43.4% of the general population experienced a decrease in exercise while 34.6% saw an increase in their binge-eating during COVID-19 restrictions. It’s not surprising that restrictions on social interactions and crowding has an impact on people’s physical well-being. But that’s why it’s more important than ever to pay more attention to the eating and health habits of your family. Today, it’s easy to learn more about nutrition and access fitness tips for exercising at home without any equipment. Even if you can’t set up a fancy home gym, there are apps and online resources that’ll help you exercise without any equipment. Make it a fun daily family routine!
Understanding what nutritions work for different body types will help you provide the most healthy meal for each. Eating healthy is also associated with mental health as well so it’s a good habit to form as a family. There are many online resources and education courses about nutrition and dietetics you can take advantage of. Use free and easy-to-use tools such as MyFitnessPal to track your eating habits as well.
3. Mindfulness
Mindfulness market reached a record $1.2 billion in 2017 and is expected to exceed $2 billion by 2022. The rise of mindfulness was accelerated due to the rise in global awareness around mental health. Even before the global pandemic, the issue of mental health disorders became prominent as many realized that a significant portion of the population suffered from some sort of mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. We live in a fast-paced world with an overflow of information on a daily basis.
Practicing mental fitness is now a priority for many health-conscious citizens. The most common mindfulness practices are mediation and counseling. Apps such as Headspace and Calm teach you various meditation techniques, offer daily meditation sessions (10-15 minutes) and provide resources and education courses to help with insomnia. The level of anxiety is likely high for everyone in the COVID-19 environment even if you may not be necessarily aware of it. So explore ways to look after the wellbeing of you and your family through mindfulness!
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