Kids Archive

What my kids are like, and how to raise your child/children in this day and age.

5 Ways You Can Help Your Kids to Manage Stress from Home School During the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way of life for many people but one group that is especially affected is children. As a way to prevent the spreading of the coronavirus, schools all around the world began shifting from offline to online. While the change was necessary for the health and safety of children, it has negatively impacted their mental health. Here are a few things that you can do to help your child manage the stress that they have gotten from home-schooling during the pandemic.

Plan and create a schedule for your kids

Home-schooling or learning from home can disrupt your child’s daily schedule. Their school hours may end up getting longer, and they might find less time for other things. This can cause stress for them because they may feel like their days are getting too hectic. You can try to plan and create a daily routine for your kids so that they can gain back control of their own time.
You do not have to create a strict schedule for your kids because that might cause more stress, trying to follow the schedule. Instead, loosely set time frames for your child so that they know what to do and when they should do it. For example, set a time for breakfast before classes begin but it does not have to be at exactly 7 AM. If you have older kids, you can also allow them to create their own schedule, as long as it is manageable.

Set realistic goals for their academics

Having to achieve a specific goal might be the biggest cause of stress for kids going through home-schooling. You may already have a certain expectation for your child’s academics before the pandemic. However, for some kids, home-schooling may not be the best way to study. Your child may have experienced difficulties with learning from home, even when they had no issues learning in school.
It is important to understand your child’s abilities and how home-schooling could affect them. Some may prosper from it while others might not. Rather than expecting high marks or good grades from your child, you should set realistic goals for them to achieve. This can relieve the burden your child might feel when it comes to their academics, thus relieving their stress.

Keep your kids engaged with different studying techniques

As mentioned before, home-schooling can have a different effect on kids. Your child may not be able to study as well as other kids, even if they are studying from the comfort of their own home. They might have a hard time understanding the lesson due to the distance, or they may get too distracted too easily. This can cause stress for them, especially when they start to feel like they are behind on lessons.
A good way to help your child out is to allow them to try different studying methods and techniques. Maybe your child is a visual learner and can learn better through videos, or perhaps they are a tactile learner. Try to understand your child’s learning habits to determine what type of lessons would work the best for them. Remember that when your child can understand the lesson better, they will be more confident in class, and thus, they will not be as stressed-out during school.

Allow your kids to take breaks

When the kids were back in school, they had a clear distinction between study time and playtime. However, your kids might not have the same clear distinction now because of how hectic online classes can get. It is important that you set break times for them, in between lessons and after classes end. This will allow them to get a breather in between their classes and clear their minds before the next lesson starts.

You can give your child some treats during their break, some cut fruits or their favorite sweet snack like biscuit with a glass of Cowhead milk on the side, or hot chocolate from Cadbury. Some parents will even allow their kids to browse the web during their break, and that is fine because that might be what your child wants to do. However, it is better if you can reduce their screen time and encourage more movement during their breaks. Perhaps they can try some simple stretching in their room, or you can get them to take a quick walk with you outside to get some fresh air.

Communicate with your kids and get them to share their thoughts

One of the most important things that you should do to help your child handle their stress is to talk to them. Communicate with your child and let them share what they are going through during this difficult time. Some kids may have trouble sharing their thoughts and emotions, so try to be understanding and encourage them to talk to you whenever they feel like it. When they do begin to share, try to empathize with them. Let them know that their worries are valid and that you are open to helping them overcome their problems. This is not only good for managing stress but for also great for their overall health.

You should make it clear to your child that they can talk to you whenever they want to, and they should not worry about bothering you. You can also set a time in the day to chat with your child and encourage them to share their thoughts. It could be in the morning during breakfast, or before bedtime, while you have a cup of tea, warm milk.

5 Tried And Tested Ways to Prevent Body Odor

The usual problem that we encounter during summer is body odor, specially with my kids who are very very active. We used to believe that it is because of sweat. A few readings online told me that sweat does not have a smell. So where do the odor comes from?

You know there’s this thing called odor-causing germs. When we sweat, the bacteria on our skin digests our sweat and that’s what us smell bad. Siguro pwede nating sabihin, yung amoy natin, utot ng bacteria yun.

5 Tried And Tested Ways to Prevent Body Odor

Take a bath. During the days that is cool, take a bath once a day. During hot seasons, you should do it twice a day. Taking a bath gets rid of odor causing germs in your skin. Take extra special care on these parts of the body as these are the body parts where odor is most likely to occur:

feet
groin
armpits
under breast
behind the ears
neck and back of neck

As you take a bath, make sure that you soap these body parts more than usual. Use soap like Safeguard as it can kill 99.9% germs.
Clothing. Use clothes that are light in terms of material and color. Darker clothes attracts more heat thus making you sweat more. As we have mentioned earlier, odor causing germs loves sweat.

Use fabric conditioner that can help you with odor causing germs. We use Downy Antibac with the power of Safeguard. Tried and tested in helping me manage my kids body odor. When we started using it., I noticed that even after playing in the sun, my kids does not smell that bad.

Downy Antibac with the power of Safeguard is available in supermarkets nationwide. You can also buy it online at Safeguard Official Online store in Lazada: Click here for the link of the store.

Use deodorant. How does deodorant works? It works by killing the bacteria on your skin and also works in a way that it helps you reduce your sweat. What’s the best type of deodorant? tawas for me! It’s antibacterial and clog the skin pores. It works just by eliminating the odor causing germs.

Drink more water. It works like magic to us. When kids are well hydrated, they smell better, meaning they don’t smell as bad as when theyre drinking colored drinks. So we try to avoid that as much as possible. The goal is for them to drink 2 liters of water a day.

Yes it is true that people who sweat more are more prone to body odor but always remember that it is caused by odor causing germs. We have to be #germprotektado para protektado din tayo sa baho.

Effective Hand-washing Technique Against Corona Virus

Coming home from a long day and all you want to do as soon as you got home is cuddle your partner or your baby. All you can think of is how your child’s embrace can take all your tiredness away. And for sure your kid feels the same. But before those excitement, please wash your hands as soon as you got home. The Effective Hand-washing Technique to protect your family from bacteria and virus is to wash your hands at least 20 seconds. You can sing Happy Birthday twice and that is enough time to tackle those germs and viruses.

What is it important to wash your hands?

When you are outside, it is your hands that are most exposed to germs and bacteria. You handle money that comes from other people. You touch doorknobs, door handles, faucets, flush which is considered as one of the dirtiest. If you can see your hands through a microscope, you would be surprised as to how much germs are there.

When do we need to wash our hands?

When you come home from the outside.
Before and after preparing food.
After using the bathroom.
After meeting a person, specially if you shook hands.
After holding money.

Effective Hand-washing Technique

To make sure that most germs and bacteria in your hands will be tackled, an effective hand-washing technique should be followed strictly.

Wash your hands using soap and water. Water your hands and put soap on it.
Rub your hands for 20 seconds, making sure that all part of your hands are soaped including the nails. If you have nail brush, brush the underneath of the nails.
Soap the faucet handle too.
Rinse the faucet handle then your hands with running water.
Dry your hands with a tissue or air dry.

You can use some songs as your 20 seconds timer, like singing the Happy Birthday song twice. Or you can also try singing your child’s favorite song 🙂

Now you know how to wash your hands properly and it will only take 30-40 seconds (20 seconds dedicated to soaping and scrubbing the hands), please make this a part of your life to prevent your family from getting sick. It will also prevent the spread of any virus that comes contact with your hands.

Aside from washing our hands, other ways to keep our family safe from virus and be healthy is to encourage them to drink water. Here are effective ways to encourage your family, specially kids to drink more water.