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COVID-19
PANDEMIC

ask in regard to children 2-4 years old are: 1) are they being ade- it is important for parents and caregivers to allow them to talk about
quately cared for, 2) is their home environment safe, and 3) how their feelings during the changing times. (Dalton, Rapa, and Stein;
can we help parents to provide their children with the necessary 2020). It is also important to provide children with honest infor-
stimulation to remain on track for learning and development? mation that is consistent with their level of understanding and cog-
Consider now the effects of social distancing on children ages 4- nitive processing. Dalton, Rapa and Stein elucidate the importance
6, recognizing the importance of peer-to-peer relationships in of prioritizing appropriate communication with children regarding
school age children. Children at this age begin to understand mean- COVID-19 as part of the community-led response to the pandemic.
ingful interaction through social play. At this age, children require How can we contribute to this response and ensure children are
active play involving the physical activity necessary for muscle provided information that is appropriate for their level of under-
strength and control. Through active play with peers, children learn standing in order to help them cope with the rapidly changing tides
to regulate emotions, partake in competition, and can even develop of COVID-19?
empathy. It is believed that these types of play may facilitate devel- The World Health Organization offers some recommendations
opment of the prefrontal cortex. Another common form of play that may be helpful for parents, educators and healthcare providers
is Drama and Pretending in which children assume different roles when considering adolescent mental health during this time. They
and act out various plots. This type of play teaches children to ex- recommend that parents encourage children to express their feelings
plain their ideas, formulate persuasive arguments (through convinc- in a positive manner, through activities such as drawing and playing.
ing playmates to agree to engage in their suggested plot/role), and The CDC also recommends that caregivers stay close to their chil-
even allows children to explore emotional regulation through pre- dren and avoid separation as much as possible; regular contact with
tending to feel a certain way or act a certain way based on their as- parents can provide children with stability and comfort. It is also
signed role. A lot of these activities are lost with the current social recommended that a daily routine is maintained, even if it may need
distancing regulations; children are not able to play with their friends to be adapted slightly — consistency is key. It is also recommended
and, while siblings can be a good playmate, they are not always close that parents encourage play time and socialization with others. This
enough in age to allow for the formation of peer-to-peer relation- is where creativity may need to come into play. A question to ask is
ships that facilitate some of these developmental milestones. While how can we facilitate the critical types of play previously discussed
we are all hopeful COVID-19 will only pose a short-term challenge while maintaining social distancing? How can this lack of social in-
for our youth, it is important to foster ideas to overcome these chal- teraction negatively impact the mental health of the children in our
lenges if this crisis is prolonged. Children require the proper stim- community? What is MY role [as it applies to you individually] in
ulation to foster development and reach psychosocial milestones. ensuring the needs of the children in our community are met?
Middle childhood occurs from age 6-11, during which children
have slower growth but develop greater strength. Physical activity Kalli R. Davis, B.S. / M.A. in Biology, is an Osteopathic
is crucial for children at this age, and Active play is extremely im- Medical Student at UIWSOM, and is a member of the Bexar
portant as it promotes better overall health, lessens obesity, im- County Medical Society.
proves their problem-solving abilities and teaches them to
appreciate cooperation and the benefits of fair play. Children nor-
mally partake in active play in their neighborhoods, schools and Works Cited
sports leagues; none of which they do not have access to while prac- Berger, K. S. (2014). Invitation to the life span. New York, NY:
ticing social distancing. It is believed that students can learn outside Worth , a Macmillan Higher Education Company.
of the classroom, through peer-to-peer interaction, watching tele- Dalton, L., Rapa, E., & Stein, A. (2020). Protecting the psycho-
vision, eating dinner with their families and observing people on logical health of children through effective communication about
the street; basically, every daily activity and experience can offer chil- COVID-19. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.
dren some form of education. The question we must ask going for- doi:10.1016/s2352-4642(20)30128-0
ward as parents, educators and healthcare providers is how to #HealthyAtHome. (n.d.). Retrieved May 12, 2020, from
continue teaching children at home? How can we utilize a variety https://www.who.int/news-room/campaigns/connecting-the-
of teaching platforms to keep them engaged and excited about ed- world-to-combat-Coronavirus/healthyathome/healthyathome---
ucation? It is also important to teach parents about the benefits of mental-health?gclid=CjwKCAjw7-P1BRA2EiwAXoPWA_V_3uUe
physical activity for their child’s physical health, mental well-being _-pCBqxdiPcn7D2JqbFjWx5_cQO67fWNIg1vyyOoXVXL-
and normal development. What are activities that may allow the PRoCpjkQAvD_BwE
child to be active as well as engaged?
Mental health of children should never be overlooked, especially
during extreme circumstances such as COVID-19. Children as
young as 2 years old can sense changes in the environment around
them. They are able to understand that “something isn’t right” and

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