One of the challenging aspects of social distancing during this pandemic is to incorporate the reason of it’s necessity despite its difficulty. For children it can be hard to understand the magnitude of the situation hence its important that we opt theMagic of 3R’s and bring it into practice
The magic of 3R’s that is Routine, Regulation and Reassurance helps to create a safe physical and emotional environment in these times.
ROUTINE – Being an early childhood educator, I strongly believe that we as adults need to maintain routines to provide our children with a sense of safety and predictability that comes with planning a regular bedtime and mealtime as well as daily schedules for learning and leisure. We need to illustrate the importance of maintaining this routines and how it can help them in achieving their goals.
REGULATION – Secondly, with routines comes regulations. It is very important for us to support children’s way of regulating their routines. When children are stressed, their bodies respond by activating their stress response systems. To help them manage these reactions, it is important to not just validate their feelings and support them but also encourage them to engage in activities that help them self-regulate. For example, engaging them in doing regular exercises such as deep breathing, activities involving mindfulness such as meditation, maintaining a good and timely sleep and meal patterns.
REASSURANCE – As adults we look for a lot of reassurance in everything we do and so do children. We need to encourage children about their safety, the safety of loved one’s around and reassure that we will leave no stones unturned to ensure their safety.
This magic will definitely do wonders and we affirm that we all will overcome this together. Till then let’s pray and stay positive.
By Bushra Khan
Early Childhood Educator
Credence High School, Dubai