THE World Health Organization (WHO) says across the world, due to the spread of COVID-19, children are affected by physical distancing, quarantines and school closures. Some children and young people may be feeling more isolated, anxious, bored and uncertain. These include the younger children — tots — for whom socialising with others is an integral part of their development. How do you ensure physical distancing while also helping your child learn social skills?

One of the ways, the WHO said, is to introduce children “to creative content that will entertain and provide a much-needed escape into the fun and magical worlds of imagination”. Others, both online and offline, can include:

1. Zoom playdates

If your child was attending kindergarten before, help them maintain friendships by setting up playdates via Zoom, or some other medium. Connect your device to your big screen TV, so they can see their friend (s) better. Then have a real playdate — including sing-a-longs, chatting, arts and crafts, or the like.

2. Pod playdates

If you live in an area where there are a few children who have been quarantining in the same general space, then you may want to consider pod playdates. This involves keeping the gatherings limited to the children in your circle, and having them interact, while practising the necessary COVID protocols, of course.

3. Socially distanced activities

You can continue doing activities with a few vetted friends, once you keep the required distance. Games like hide and seek, see-saw, and a lot of others that you can do in your community, don’t involve touching or getting too close to each other.

4. Get back to basics

Make cards for family members who they may not be able to visit — crayons, paint and construction paper can create a masterpiece. Then communicate with the family members via phone calls or Zoom, to always ensure that there’s that connection.

5. Have a socially distanced outing

Take the kids out to a space where they can practice social distancing — like the zoo. There are enough organised activities there, that you can monitor your children and make sure they socially distance and make safe choices while they play.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says when children are very young, their parents and caregivers — including extended family members, a worship community, and childcare workers — provide them with daily caretaking routines that support their development and well-being (ie, diaper changes, feeding, hair combing, etc).

“Disruptions in these routines and the sudden loss of usual caregivers due to the need to physically distance can be traumatic for young children,” the CDC said,

What is important is that the parent realises the importance of supporting even very young children, and establishing and maintaining routines and structure which will help them to not emerge from the pandemic with any social challenges.