What was once idealised as the stage of carefree play, grubby cuddles and rough-housing has transformed into a stage of anxiety, frustration and uncertainty for many. The untroubled childhood is yet another victim of Covid-19. While it is still relatively early days since the outbreak of the pandemic, the psychological effects are already being observed in children.
Children in younger grades often struggle to connect with new people because of the masks in front of their faces, according to Janet du Bois, the learner support coordinator at Rhenish Primary School. PHOTO: Sourced/Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels
Althea Mintoor lives in Stellenbosch and is the mother of two children, a 13-year-old son and an 11-year-old daughter. She has noticed that they are both “very frustrated and don’t focus on school at all”, since the onset of lockdown in March 2020.
“Their marks have dropped drastically, and they don’t really like homework,” says Mintoor. “I really wish everything can go back to normal,” she adds.
Anxiety, depression and online gaming
“Overall, Covid is causing a huge presentation in anxiety, depression, and isolation. [Children are] having great difficulty in those areas,” says Stacey Cohen, an educational psychologist based in Sandton, Johannesburg.
Cohen has noticed a change in the general state of mind of her school-going-aged clients due to isolation, caused by Covid-19 and the repercussions thereof. “Kids are more at home, and more isolated at home. Parents are busy, and more stressed,” says Cohen.
The lack of sports and other extra-mural activities has had an impact on children’s overall motivation, mental health, as well as their ability to make friends, according to Stacey Cohen, educational psychologist. PHOTO: Kirsty Bucholz
With school moving from online to in-person, and back again, younger children who did not usually have much gaming accessibility are now often very dependent on gaming for any social interactions, according to Cohen.
“They’re doing these online gaming interactions either with strangers or friends. And they are playing so often that it’s actually presenting as an addiction,” she says. This addiction to online gaming can often lead to mental health issues, or lack of focus and motivation. Cohen has also found that children who are addicted to online gaming are not as open to doing other activities.
Janet du Bois, the learner support coordinator, or Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO), at Rhenish Primary School (Rhenish) in Stellenbosch has noticed that since the advent of Covid-19, especially in the younger grades, “screens have become the babysitters”.
“What we’ve found is that those kids who get more screen time display more grumpiness or aggression. It almost became a default question from our teachers when they have parent-teacher meetings – asking how much screen time the kid gets. There is definitely a link there,” says Du Bois.
The overarching feeling of uncertainty has caused an increase in behavioural, or mental health, problems displayed by children, says Du Bois. She explains that one can see the anxiety in how children deal with maths. “Maths is an emotionally loaded subject, if [the child is] stressed and feels anxious, it’s going to be difficult to stay on task – especially in maths,” says Du Bois.
Due to increased gaming accessibility since the start of lockdown, some children are very dependent on gaming for social interactions, says Stacey Cohen, educational psychologist. PHOTO: Sourced/Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
It is also possible to identify depression in children through their creative writing, according to Du Bois.
“The isolation and restrictions imposed by the pandemic induces a sense of fear and foreboding that increases anxiety, depression, rebelliousness, aggressiveness. Children, as well as teens, find it difficult to regulate their emotions,” says Carlien Serfontein, a counsellor based in Stellenbosch. “They have this sense of ‘emptiness’ and they are not excited by things that used to bring them joy.”
Academics and extra-mural activities
Anxiety can present itself in children’s need to have control over small things, to counter the unstructured and unsafe times during Covid-19. A common example that Serfontein has observed is the hyper-focusing on academic results – because that is often what school has been reduced to since extra-mural activities are limited or irregular.
Some children display their anxiety or frustration by becoming the class-clown, or by challenging teachers because, “I need to show I am. I am someone or something,” says Du Bois.
It is important for caregivers to encourage their children to partake in outdoor activities, such as playing in the park or going for a walk. Physical activity is a good outlet for anxiety or other emotions, according to Stacey Cohen, educational psychologist. PHOTO: Kirsty Bucholz
The lack of having extra-mural activities has had a big impact on children, according to Cohen and Du Bois.
“With the more competitive kids who need their sports to shine, or with arts and culture and all of that, we could see those kids feeling lost,” says Du Bois. It is particularly important for competitive children to be able to excel in the aspects that “make them tick”, she explains.
Furthermore, extra-murals are important opportunities to make friends, where children can meet others with common interests. “This was a factor especially for the kids who have moved schools in the last year,” says Cohen.
Masks on: social interactions
Social interactions and relationships have for the most part been negatively affected. The wearing of masks – not being able to see the whole face – and the required social distancing created a foreign situation for young children, says Serfontein. “This makes [children] question the motives of others, and therefore trust takes longer,” she adds.
Children in younger grades, in particular the grade ones, had a hard time remembering new faces, and connecting with people, behind face masks, says Du Bois. Initially, “it was difficult and frustrating for the kids.”
“Parenting is hard, during a pandemic even more so. But in saying that, children are adaptable and resilient,” says Mickey Olivier, principal directress of Stellenbosch Montessori Pre School. PHOTO: Sourced/Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
Young children, who are still learning to make sense of social interactions, struggle to read expressions behind others’ masks, according to Mickey Olivier, the principal directress of Montessori Stellenbosch Pre School.
“I have had children say to me that the Directress [teacher] is ‘cross’ with them, but it is because they cannot see the facial expressions accompanying her words,” says Olivier.
What caregivers can do
Mintoor explains that there is a silver lining for her family. Her children’s relationship with each other has grown stronger.“Playing together inside the house became easier,” she says.
Cohen suggests that parents should ensure that their children have an outlet for their anxiety and other emotions. “Right now the world isn’t feeling very safe […] that anxiety needs an outlet. There needs to be some physical activity,” she says.
Stacey Cohen, an educational psychologist, suggests what parents can do in order to support their children during these uncertain times. CLIP: Kirsty Bucholz
Serfontein outlines the importance of letting children, and adolescents, verbally express themselves completely and openly. “It is essential for us to allow children and teenagers to voice their emotions and even act on them,” she says. The introduction of routine, structure and family time at home is important to create a sense of safety and security in these uniquely uncertain times, according to Serfontein.
“Parenting is hard, during a pandemic even more so. But in saying that, children are adaptable and resilient,” says Olivier. It is important to explain things to children in age-appropriate ways, instead of excluding them.
“With the more competitive kids who need their sports to shine […] we could see those kids feeling lost,” says Janet du Bois, the learner support coordinator at Rhenish Primary School. PHOTO: Kirsty Bucholz
“Make time for them. Thirty minutes a day where they have your undivided attention and they get to choose what you do. Nature walks are best, as they get to explore, and it gives the adult loads of time to discuss and engage with the child,” Olivier adds.