Children's Mental Health in the Age of Covid

There are a variety of different outlets to choose from when it comes to occupying your time as an adult during this pandemic. We can also find a plethora of articles to choose from when it comes to tips on our mental health. But during this time, we need to remember to make kids’ mental health a priority as well.

This post is part of our effort to highlight the challenges to kids’ mental health as we learn remotely. CITE and Alfred University offer Mental health Counseling and School Counseling Master’s Programs that start this fall. Our students and grads are in the field now, working on these issues. Learn more about our programs, and how you can help make a difference, at alfredapply.com

In this Forbes article Nick Morrison from Forbes Education Branch touched on how the lockdown of schools has turned into one of the biggest discussions during this pandemic. The fact that children have lost some of their education is a topic of concern as well. The biggest concern of them all is the effect on all of this on kids’ mental health.

When is the right time to reopen? Morrison touches on how teachers have been vocal about not wanting to put themselves or their students at risk. Another main issue is the fact that children are not being social right now. There are so many children who have just started making friends and forming bonds. The lockdown ended that in-person connection without the kids fully understanding why.

Children are being isolated from each other right now. Their schedule has changed totally. Not being able to play outside and physically interact with other children can have a negative effect on their mental health, as can the disruption to their routine. It’s hard to say what will happen when schools reopen but Morrison believes that the focus should be on the focus should be, “on easing children back into the classroom environment and encouraging them to play with their friends, rather than cramming them with as much of the ‘missing’ material as possible.”

Children are no different than adults when it comes to worry, stress and anxiety. Their mental health is something we all have to read up on, and find strategies to support. Read the full article here.