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WHAT MOMMIES CAN DO TO KEEP THEIR KIDS ACTIVE AND SAFE IN COVID TIMES

Gone are the days when we used to take our kids to a park or a fun picnic. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are stuck at home waiting for the world to re-open. With even adults often struggling with the prolonged work-from-home, it is understandable that children are finding the changed scenario bewildering. One […]

Gone are the days when we used to take our kids to a park or a fun picnic. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are stuck at home waiting for the world to re-open. With even adults often struggling with the prolonged work-from-home, it is understandable that children are finding the changed scenario bewildering. One of the many things children miss during this period of lockdown is the chance to go out and play. Unfortunately, that is a tad bit difficult in the current scenario. But that shouldn’t stop us from devising ways to include physical activity in our child’s routine.

Being active is essential for anyone and everyone to keep their minds engaged. We do not know if the pandemic is going to end anytime soon, so there are certain things we need to incorporate into our kids’ lifestyles to keep them active and healthy.

We should make it a point to engage our kids in fun activities as often as possible. I have a planned weekly schedule for my kids; we listen to new music, sing songs and talk about different music genres for one hour every Monday. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we paint together and I introduce them to different art forms. For my kids painting is a fun activity, but in the long run art helps kids express themselves and gain confidence. It also helps kids come up with positive emotional responses to stressful situations, which is what is needed in the current scenario.

Also, if you live in a safe environment with open spaces, I recommend going cycling with your kids to keep them active and relieve stress. Playing board games with your kids a few times a week also promotes family time and strengthens your bond with your children. It also helps them build their communication skills and, at times, helps them learn to fail. If you let your children win, you deny them the opportunity to learn from failure. Instead, praise the efforts they have put in, and encourage a conversation about what went wrong, and they’ll begin to see that failure is teaching them to succeed.

Further to the above activities, you should also involve your kids in helping you out with community service. I often involve my kids in my community initiatives to sensitise them about what is going on in the world and how they can help make the world a better place.

On a separate note, experts are predicting a third wave sooner or later, and lots of parents have concerns when it comes to the safety of their children. We certainly cannot avoid this wave but what we need to do to deal with this impending third wave is build our kids’ immunity with the help of physical activity and a nutritional diet. We should ensure our kids exercise every day, in any form they like. Further, we must incorporate almonds, fruits, vegetables, protein (egg or paneer) and yoghurt into our child’s diet. I do not recommend over-doing it with kadha. Although it is known to aid the body’s ability to fight infections by boosting immunity, excess of anything can be harmful. According to experts, anything more than the specified quantity can lead to health issues ranging from constipation to an increase in body heat. Further, since no child likes to eat basic food every day, we should try out new recipes to recreate restaurant food at home. Avoid ordering food from outside, and most importantly, cut down on visitors to avoid unnecessary exposure.

To conclude, I strongly feel it is imperative to pique the curiosity of our kids and to encourage a healthy lifestyle. They say it takes 21 days to make or break a habit, so imagine what months of regular learning, activity and a healthy diet can do for your child’s future!

The writer a well-knwon mom blogger and influencer.

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