It was the Thursday before lockdown restrictions were due to be lifted here in Spain.
I was scanning through my messages and one caught my eye. It was a beautiful story about a bear called Greedy, written by a psychologist called Carmen Esteban.
I loved the way she compared children in lockdown with bears hibernating and I felt the need to create something similar for my own students.
Emotional intelligence is something that we talk about constantly in all our classes at Agora Lledó International School in Castellón, Spain. While pupils are away from school, we must make sure that we don’t overlook the need to continue to help children to manage their emotions, and support them with other aspects of their wellbeing.
I hoped that my resource would support children to verbalise how they might be feeling at this difficult time, and to understand some of the new measures that were in place around them. Here’s how.
1. Explain that emotions are OK
The situation we all find ourselves in now is sure to provoke a whole rollercoaster of emotions. I don’t know about you, but between working online and looking after my one-year-old son, I think I have been through them all. So, imagine what life must be like for young children who don’t even understand what is going on.
It therefore helps if we can make children realise that it is OK to feel these different emotions.
2. Illustrate social distancing
Secondly, it is important for children to understand that there are special rules that need to be followed prior to leaving their homes. If we explain these rules in a simple and attractive way, it is more likely that they will abide by them.
Hence, it is important to explain to them that they must respect the adults’ instructions. Warn them that they can only greet their friends from afar, for example.
I know I am dying to give my friends and family great big kisses and hugs again. A child’s natural instinct will be to do the same when they are reunited with their loved ones again. But it is important that they understand that we have to maintain our distance to prevent Covid-19 from spreading.
3. Make masks fun
It is vital that children feel comfortable and happy about wearing masks. We can encourage this by comparing them to superheroes - or to doctors and nurses, our real-life heroes - when the time comes for them to don their mask.
To be honest, I tried on my mask for the first time yesterday and it was an invasive experience. My glasses steamed up; I felt claustrophobic and unable to breathe correctly. This brought home to me that children will need to be made to feel calm and at ease and see the fun in masks. Reframing mask wearing as a way for them to be mini heroes by stopping the virus from spreading seems like a good way to go about this.
4. Explain limitations in advance
Finally, children need to be aware that they are not going to be able to do certain things anymore, such as go on the swings and slides. If they are pre-warned about this, it should be easier to help them to resist the urge to use the playground equipment. Having other toys available to distract them can also be helpful here.
Resources to support wellbeing
My resource features two bears, Cody and Coby. You can download the PDF below.
As I work for an international school, I wanted to make a bilingual version for my infant students and felt that it was important to give them follow-up tasks, such as the opportunity to click on the hyperlink and learn about other animals that hibernate.
Prevention is better than cure, and hopefully, these simple stories will help children around the world during this current situation.
Download Lucy’s post-lockdown guides for young children:
Cody and Coby PDF (English)
Cody and Coby PDF (Spanish)
Lucy Durance is infant and primary language coordinator and reading community coordinator at Ágora Lledó International School in Castellón, Spain
