Over the past year and a half, everyone has been forced to navigate challenges due to the pandemic.
Research has found the collective trauma of COVID-19 to be particularly hard on young people, Fenkel adds.
Physical Health
Experts say that during the pandemic, many kids didn’t attend their annual check-ups.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also offers avaccination schedule by age.
Mental Health
This school year may also be particularly challenging for your children emotionally.
Remember, Fenkel says, kids and teens have faced trauma in the past year and a half.
Parents and teachers have faced trauma and hardship during the pandemic, too.
This, however, can exacerbate a child’s situation.
To alleviate this tension, parents can help kids and teens find normalcy through a routine.
“This is a needed conversation that is not being had,” Hamm says.
If you don’t say anything about it, we’re going to assume you’re adjusted."
But what if the teachers and parents broach the subject first?
Instead, that’s left up to school districts.
This listshows which states have school mask mandates and which have banned them.
And Hamm’s district?
They decided against it.
Now she’s seeing the consequences play out in bullying, just a few weeks after school started.
This can lead to an enormous sense of peer pressure.
This makes it so someone immediately in the vicinity can support them through whatever struggles they’re going through.
It’s OK to be struggling.
Talking to a mental health professional can help, be it virtually or in person.
But it might be difficult to remember that in a moment of acting out.
To prepare for those moments, Hamm says, replace frustration and disciplinary action with curiosity.
“Once you get to the principal, the curiosity has gone out the window.”
Signs of Anxiety in Young Children
Hamm shares a few common signs of anxiety in young children.
Hamm echoes the sentiment.
But emotional awareness and learning can start small.
“[It’s about] normalizing feeling anxious.
Having the conversation to say, ‘Hey, this is how I feel.
For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Childhood Vaccination Toolkit for Clinicians.
