These are unprecedented times. Be kind to yourselves! Parents, you are not expected to home school your children and to give them all the same curriculum exposure that they would have had were we at school. The ideas we provide are just that; ideas of things you may wish to work on with your child(ren) or that your child(ren) may enjoy having a go at independently. Please don’t put yourself under any pressure to have them sitting at a table for 6 hours a day! Enjoy them! Enjoy the time you can spend together. Tap in to their interests, get outside, let them try something new, have adventures, share snuggles and above all, keep safe and happy.
None of us have ever had to do this before and we’re all just doing our best in very difficult times. As we always tell the children; your best may be different to someone else’s best but your best is good enough! All of you will be living this in different ways. Some of you have one child, some more than one, some of you will be working, some perhaps not, some of you will be sharing custody of your child(ren) and others may not. All these things and many more besides, present different challenges so just “do you” and be proud! You’re all doing a great job!
When two people share responsibility for a child, no matter whether they are still together or separated, the relationship between them has a direct impact on the mental health of their children. please visit https://relationshipmatters.org.uk
Supporting Children and Young People with worries about COVID-19
A great article from CEOP and Parentzone. How to look after your family’s mental health when you’re stuck indoors.
Free online Stress Control class. Provided with NHS England, IAPT, NHS Wales, Department of Health (Northern Ireland), HSE, Ireland and NHS Scotland. https://stresscontrol.org/
A free information book explaining the coronavirus to children, illustrated by Gruffalo illustrator Axel Scheffler
A resource pack for children under 12 years old to help manage difficult feelings about coronavirus.
FACE COVID – Guide for adults – How to respond effectively to the Corona Crisis by Russ Harris.
Living with worry and anxiety amidst global uncertainty.
Samaritans (freephone) – 116 123
Mind – 0300-123-3393
Bradford first response – 01274 221-181
School – 01535 642271