Now that many cities are starting to reopen, children’s activities are starting up within the context of a new normal. The website Pearachute Kids recently surveyed its users all over the country to determine their comfort level with various children’s activities. We’ll take you through some of the major findings and give you some ideas on how to address these varying feelings.
Most families are feeling some level of stress.
Unsurprisingly, over 70% of parents surveyed said they were stressed about their family’s emotional or financial stability during the pandemic. Those levels of stress have likely increased since then, as world events have gotten more tumultuous.
Give yourself and your family a break, if needed. Don’t feel like you have to be productive all the time, engaging your children in creative learning activities all day every day. It’s okay if you struggle to keep it together some days. Be honest with yourself and your family about how you’re feeling and take it one day at a time.
Parents are hesitant to return to activities, mostly because of health concerns.
45% of parents who said they would be hesitant to return to normal activities cited health concerns as their main reason, above financial or time barriers. If this is your situation, take your time and ease back into activities slowly. Your child will be okay missing one summer of swim team or one season of soccer.
Before you sign your child up for their first activity, make sure you’re aware of the safety precautions put into place, and don’t hesitate to ask if you can’t readily find that information. Talk to your child as well; you may feel comfortable with an activity but your child might be the one who is nervous. This is valid, so take the time to talk this through as a family.
And don’t forget — virtual options are still available, even with schools closed. Here at The Critical Thinking Child we’re opening up our first ever fully remote Learn and Move Virtual Summer Camp.
Parents are prioritizing time with friends and family over time spent in organized activities.
While you may think families are jumping right back into organized activities, 57% of parents think that spending more time with friends and family will most help their children rebound from the pandemic over the coming months.
If you’re most comfortable with virtual hangouts for now, go ahead and continue it! Zoom is a great platform, but you can also test out FaceTime or Google Hangouts. Get creative by playing games like Pictionary or Yahtzee virtually.
If you do choose to have in-person contact, keep it outside if you can and maintain social distance. You’ll also want to start small, maybe having just one other family over for a backyard get-together. Make sure your comfort level matches that of the friends you invite; otherwise you may find yourself in an uncomfortable situation.
Parents find out about activities for their children on social media.
Lastly, parents are overwhelmingly getting their information about children’s activities from social media. In the survey, 55% of parents said they got most of their information from sites like Instagram, Peanut, and Facebook groups, rather than word of mouth or google searches.
If you’re already using social media for this purpose, keep doing what you’re doing! Knowing that parents search for activities this way, consider posting in local groups if you’ve found activities that you and your children really love. Make sure you follow us on Facebook to stay up-to-date with our announcements.
No matter the speed you get back into children’s activities, be gentle with yourself and your family and do what feels right to you. Figuring out a new normal is hard for everybody, so remember we’re all in it together and we all want what’s best for our families
