Very Young Children, Child Development, and the Pandemic

For some families with very young children, the pandemic has been difficult. If you are staying mostly at home or going out less than you would have if there were no pandemic, here are some ideas.

 If you can, please get the children out of the house, safely, of course, whatever that feels like for you and your family. Maybe take a walk in the neighborhood. Possibly taking a drive to a farm or a duck pond would be nice or whatever is easy to access in your area but not crowded, if you're concerned about crowds. Get them outside of the house or apartment, and point out an airplane going by, or the garbage truck, and how those who collect the garbage are some of our community helpers.

Also, there are things you can do at home to give young children enrichment and social skills. Books open whole new worlds to them.

 Games, whether card games or board games - geared to their age - help them learn to take turns and give them the fun experience of doing something together with others. There are games made especially for younger children, although some may be more geared to children 5 and up, and may need some little modifications for 3's and 4's.

 Sing songs. Playing songs on TV or the web is good, but it's also fun and bonding to sing songs with them (or to them, until they pick it up). Also, if they don't get out as much, they can dance, jump, spin, even at home. You can find preschool songs online which feature movement.

Build structure into their lives. Have a place to eat meals. Maybe sit down together at the table most evenings to eat dinner. Of course, now and then a picnic outside might be fun, too. And I'm not saying anyone should have a strict schedule, just that some routine is helpful for their wellbeing.

 Establish some boundaries in their lives. You probably wouldn't let your child of 3 or 4 run inside of a church or at the library. But if you're not going out much, it might be harder to teach those kinds of boundaries. Is there an area of your home which would be safer for them if they don't run? That would be a good place for teaching the skill of respecting boundaries, such as "walking only" in this area.

And one more thing I would suggest is teaching them to come when you call them. Maybe they want to keep playing, but it might be helpful at some time - maybe even vital for their safety - if they learn to come when you call them to find out what it is you want. And then, at least some of the time, they can go back to their play.

 Just some thoughts I have had, while thinking about the young children in today's world, some of whom have been in their own homes a lot more in the past year and a half than is usually the case, some of them for half or more of their lives.