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How can I Communicate Effectively with my Child During the Uncertain Time of Covid-19?

7/13/2020

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During this time of Covid-19 and homeschooling everyone is experiencing a barrage of feelings.  Some are grateful that they are able to spend time with their families. This valuable time was not possible prior to the lock-down.  Others, however, are experiencing concerns around loss of job, long working hours, demands of homeschooling and possibly food insecurity.  Any one of these factors can cause undue stress. Under these circumstances, it is possible that your daily communication encounters with your child may reflect that stress. Encounters may become more short and direct. The caregiver may find that he/she is merely managing behavior.  The art of really conversing with your child may be strained. Here are a few suggestions parents may want to try to enrich their communication experience with their child:
  • Choose a time to deliberately connect with your child, perhaps  early morning, during evening dinner or just before bed.  Talk about the upcoming day or events that occurred during the day.  Sing a song, repeat a nursery rhyme or recite a poem together.  Create an activity that can become an anticipated bonding moment.  For the older child, discuss a musical group they like, a sports player they admire, or talk about an interesting book they are reading.
  • Play board games, complete puzzles, have a dance party, or bake cookies as a way to decrease stress and work together towards a common goal.
  • Become aware of how you are communicating with your child.  Assess your tone of voice. How much are you smiling when  talking with your child?  Are you primarily telling your child what to do or are you engaged in actual conversations?

In spite of the challenges of Covid-19, your communication with your child can not only improve, but thrive.  Deliberately carving out time to meaningfully connect with your child will ensure that the inherent stress of our current circumstance will not overshadow your positive parent/child bonding experience.

For additional parenting tips, one source among many is "unicef for every child" www.unicef.org/coronavirus/covid-19-parenting-tips
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For more information regarding Parent-Child interaction, specifically designed for children from birth to three years of age, please Click Here to review Lullabelle & Friends' Parent Guide: Enhancing Your Child's Speech-Language Development From Birth to Three Years and Beyond...
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Parents' Role in the Learning Process During the time of Covid-19

7/6/2020

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  • Summer has arrived!  The kids are excited and parents are relieved.  The pressure of meeting academic deadlines is over.  Although the academic year has ended, parents may still want to engage their children in some type of  direct instruction. One way to experience success in this endeavor is to:
  • 1. Create a specific time for loosely structured learning opportunities. It may still be necessary to create a level of organization during the day to give your child a sense of normalcy and comfort. 
2.  Periods of learning can range from 10-20 minutes depending on the age of the child. 

3.  After each "learning opportunity", engage in some type of physical activity, e.g., exercise, completing a puzzle, building with blocks, dancing, etc.
4. Your learning segments may range from a total of one hour daily or perhaps longer again depending on the child's age.  
5. I am suggesting that tech devices be minimized and hands-on activities be maximized to build improved concentration and lessen distractibility.  
6. Your learning opportunities may consist of reading an interesting book and drawing or painting a picture about the story events; playing a sight-word bingo game; reviewing math concepts while earning chips to play Connect 4; creating a story about figures made with clay or slime; playing charades guessing animals, foods, actions, transportation items, etc.  You may also want to carry-over some of the activities that were presented by the teacher during the school year.  

​The overall goal is to continue to engage your child in the learning process, while creating a non-threatening, supportive environment.

I understand that this unusual time is requiring all of us to develop new ways of approaching the learning experience with our children.  Helping them to navigate our new normal may be challenging, but with some preparation, this time can prove to be productive and even enjoyable for all.

Here is a link to a website that provides some free instructional activities in the resource section:  https://www.home-speech-home.com/speech-therapy-resources.html

For more information regarding Parent-Child interaction, specifically designed for children from birth to three years of age, please Click Here to review Lullabelle & Friends' Parent Guide: Enhancing Your Child's Speech-Language Development From Birth to Three Years and Beyond...

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    Author

    Sandra Williams, Speech-Language Pathologist certified by the American Speech-Hearing-Association with over 20 years of experience.

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