It is a worrying time for everyone . The children might have seen news items that they don't fully understand , they might have overheard conversations that might have left them feeling scared and they might be full of big emotions that they don't know how to deal with. Stories are a great way of getting children to open up and to talk about their feelings.

Sometimes taking about a character in a story is less daunting than talking about themselves if they're worried about what others might think .

Share stories and talk to your little wonderers...

 

 

 

As children have spent long time at home with parents , returning to school might lead to separation anxieties, especially for younger children. Research suggests that separation anxiety could manifest itself in various ways, such as attachment to families, silence, and refusal of assistance.  Several strategies are suggested by research studies and guidelines to cope with children’s separation anxiety and emotional difficulties:

• Storytelling: stories from children’s own experiences or tales related to COVID-19 enable children to express their feelings, emotions, thoughts, and behaviours, helping teachers and adults to respond and support accordingly;
• Play: through play, children can also express their feelings and reflect their experiences during the COVID-19 lockdown. Allowing more opportunities for child-initiated play activities is particularly important.
• Familiarising: a familiar environment helps children to feel secure. This could include sharing the document below 'coming back to school in a bubble'  with your child. 
• Reassurance: as parents may have told their children repeatedly at home that it was not safe to leave home or go outside during the COVID-19 lockdown, reassuring children that it is safe at school can support them to develop their sense of security.