The satchel is ready, the supplies are purchased, the outfit carefully chosen. All that remains is to think about the mask if your child is 11 years or older and make sure that he knows how to wash his hands well.
This is where the business gets a little tough. If the start of the school year can already generate some concerns among parents and children, the coronavirus clearly increases the burden in this year 2020.
Even if researchers still have many questions about children facing this virus, the two barrier gestures of wearing a mask and washing hands are almost unanimous.
Here are the best tips gleaned from childhood specialists to support them in these new habits.
To make your child wear a mask
If under 11s are not affected by the mask at school, there may be situations where parents will want them to wear it. It is even allowed to send your child with a mask. And getting them used to putting it on correctly and keeping it on their nose and mouth seems necessary since the health crisis continues.
″ From the age of 6, children have developed their cognitive understanding and can better understand what is the point of wearing the mask. They are less impulsive and therefore they can more respect rules that are a little restrictive for them ”, confides to HuffPost Sarah Laporte-Daube, psychologist and author of After abuse, freeing oneself from childhood wounds .
Most children can feel uncomfortable with this new accessory . To best help them get used to it, here are three tips to follow to get them accepted, as you can see in the video below.
To help him wash his hands frequently
To make the start of the school year go as smoothly as possible, the Ministry of National Education and Youth has shared a new health protocol . A part also concerns hand washing . It is specified that this cleaning with soap and water, between 20 and 30 seconds, must be done:
- on arrival at the establishment
- before each meal
- before and after recess
- after going to the toilet
- in the evening before returning home or upon arrival at home
How do you get children to wash their hands? Unicef has published a whole list of recommendations to help parents make it a habit at home and at school, as you can see in the video below . It is advisable to clearly explain why it is important during this period to wash your hands and to do it after these different activities: when coming home, before eating, before and after recess, etc.
