Covid 19
The biggest change to children’s daily lives under COVID-19, might have been the closure of schools and introduction of digital home schooling. School is a place of academic learning, but also an arena for development, socialization and connecting with friends and peers, and for emotional and academic support from teachers, which are all important factors for children’s psychological wellbeing and adjustment. Structured school routines further allow children to have regular bed/wake times, predictable meals and regular physical activity and educational stimulation/concentration on school work. For children the impact of the COVID-19 shutdown may have long term effects, even into adulthood. COVID-19 variables such as, home school experience, family stress and instability, screen time use, missing friends, lack of social engagement, lack of routines and worry about virus infection are associated with children’s emotional, somatic/cognitive and anxiety, respectively. Choose ONE variable and speculate as to what the trajectory might entail and its impact on schools.
