CHILDREN DURING THIS LOCKDOWN

Like most countries, our Authorities have ordered all nurseries, kindergartens, schools and institutions of learning to close to limit the spread of Covid-19. Many private schools and institutions have asked parents to ensure that learning continues at home. Online learning is an obvious way to keep lessons going; however only a few schools have well established online learning systems. The activity of learning however should not be limited to children in private schools and institutions but to all pupils and students during the period of this lockdown. For many parents, taking on the task of teaching our children at home is a daunting prospect. But there are resources online that can make home learning easier and fun. Parents should try different approaches and websites and see what works well for them. Be prepared to learn along with the kids, take a break when you need to - and have fun. Some challenges that parents face are internet connectivity problems and limited data access.

You should not expect your children to study all day long. They will certainly feel bored. Please try various activities at home daily to keep your children happy and occupied. Watch a movie or two everyday with your children. It helps you and your family to relax and is an excellent way to decrease anxiety. Watching movies is a passive way of whiling away time.

Playing games at home, on the other hand, is an excellent way of killing time. Please encourage your children to play board games. Let them play chess. It is actually an incredibly beneficial pastime. Playing chess can result in better brain function, improve memory and cognitive abilities, strategic thinking and attention improvement. Another good board game is scrabble. Playing scrabble can teach your kids new words; sometimes accompanied by a smile on your opponent's face. Additionally, scrabble can be a great way to improve vocabulary of the kids. By having children focused on the game, they will learn while having fun. For the younger generation, they may enjoy snake and ladder or draughts (checkers). The above suggested board games are inclusive but by no means exhaustive. Many, if not most, children love to play computer games. Please allot some time daily for your children to play computer games. But do NOT allow them to play computer games all day long.

Children are born to be active. Regular physical activities are beneficial for your children. However, this lockdown has led to reduced physical activity. As parents, you have to decide on what type of physical activities are possible in your home. Playing hide and seek, hula hoop and badminton are a few suggestions.

As usual, we remind you to take your Memo Plus Gold daily. It will help to keep you alert and mentally sharp. For more information or to purchase Memo Plus Gold, visit : https://oze.my/