2020 has been a horrible year for most of us and no one really knows when things will go back to normal and it’s likely we will be living alongside COVID-19 for a long time. Adults are exposed to the science and can understand what the virus is, what it looks like and how it works.
But, as kids bean bags suppliers and through our work with young people we know children are naturally more imaginative, less exposed to the facts and have a much brighter outlook on the world around them.
So, in an attempt to embrace what we have to deal with, we wanted to see the world through a child’s eyes and in particular how they view COVID-19. Does it seem like a big scary entity that they don’t really understand, a horrible little monster, or is it the opposite?
Here’s what we received when we requested drawings of COVID-19 from children across the UK:
But, while children have an open-minded and innocent view of the world, in this case it is important that they understand the implications of a global pandemic (even if they don’t know what it looks like), so we’ve asked child clinical psychologist, Lucy Russell to comment on how children view this type of event and how adults can communicate the implications and impact of something of this scale:
"Often a child's reactions to such an event will mirror the parent(s). So, if parents are able to stay calm and continue with life in as normal a way as possible, then the child will (very likely) pick up on all the verbal and non-verbal signs of containment and be able to do the same. If an adult is feeling panicky and out of control, they should try hard to manage this in front of the children, and seek support from friends and family to help themselves and their child feel safe.
"Adults should communicate the implications of the virus in the context of ensuring the child feels safe and contained. You can read more of my advice here, but to summarise, six strategies I recommend are:
- Shift your (and their) focus to what can be controlled.
- Limit access to the news.
- Work on deep, slow breathing and consider mindfulness.
- Focus on activities that soothe the senses.
- Keep up as many routines as you can.
- Notice and create positives out of adversity.”
So there you have it, that’s what the UK’s children think COVID-19 looks like, all sorts of weird and wonderful interpretations of something that has ruined 2020!
