Social distancing will be a term nursery children are familiar with by now. They’ll have started to hear it back in March, and over the last few months no doubt many explanations and overheard conversations will have met their ears. But it’s a tough ask of young ones, isn’t it? Many are naturally affectionate and tactile, they love to explore and play through touch, so the ‘keep your hands to yourself’ message is a difficult one. Only through regular gentle prompting and leading by example will the thinking embed in their minds.
Reminding them of what Covid-19 actually is
Of course, even young one know it’s a virus now. But linking the concept of a virus to people falling sick and helping children to imagine how a virus can travel through the air when someone shouts, for example, does help them to understand the need for social distancing. It’s about reminding them that the ‘rules’ are in place to keep both them safe and others around them safe too… And yes, the message has to get across without scaring them; too much detail can cause excessive worry!
So in practical terms, what does social distancing mean to a child?
In reality, it has meaning to them through the things they do and see. Things like:
- People wearing masks
- Not being encouraged to hug
- Sitting far apart from your friends
- Walking the other side of the path
- Giving people space in a queue
The good news is that young children are very visual, and much of social distancing can be explained in visual/spatial terms. Practical activities such as No.3 below really help children to grasp what effective social distancing means. And though admittedly it might not be exactly 2m, it is still a strong visual cue for them to take in. You can even call it their own personal bubble.
Different interpretations of the ‘rules’
One of the challenges that carers and parents face at this point, however, is that by now many children will have seen how other families interpret and practise the concept of social distancing. And being the observant little beasties that they are, they will have spotted the differences. Encouraging discussion about this is a great way to reaffirm your own family/nursery rules. And if they talk about it all a bit too loudly sometimes in front of others… it might prompt a wayward adult to sharpen up their act!
So what can you do to help promote the right thinking?
3 great ways to embed the concept in their minds
- Operate a verbal traffic light system: Red – you’re too close; Amber – you’re moving too close; green – everything is tickety boo.
- Read a social distancing story to them – The United Nations developed a free children’s book called “My Hero is You” which tells a story about Sara, a young girl who journeys with a wonderful winged creature called Ario to educate other children about Covid-19 and social distancing. (Click here if you’d like to find out more.)
- Make it a game – Take a group of youngsters and ask them to stand with their arms spread out. Now ask them to move until no one is touching anyone else, even if they turn in a circle.
Of course, as ever, these are just a few ideas we’ve had. We always welcome details of other strategies people have discovered. So please… share them with us. We’re all in this together. Keep safe.