PW invited parents of Children’s Academy, Thakur Complex, Kandivli, Mumbai, to share their insights on how they are motivating their children in the continuing lack of normalcy

“The Covid pandemic has changed the life of my five-yearold daughter Gia in many ways. Therefore we made it our priority to address her fears and enhance her physical and emotional well-being. I have always believed a household routine gives children a sense of normalcy. Towards this end, I am making sure that we observe regular mealtimes, bedtime, limited screen time and set time aside for her hobbies like drawing and colouring, reading and playing board games. We also encourage her to speak often with her grandparents over the telephone. Good behaviour and completion of household chores earn her a bag of goodies and an extra hug.”

— Vanita Gupta, numerologist, Mumbai

“It amazes me to see how my son Palaash — class IX — is managing in these abnormal times. We are fortunate his school has organised online competitions and activities besides delivering high-quality academic education. This has helped us recognise his strengths based on which he has been given some responsibilities. Since Palaash has a passion for coding, design and art, we encourage him to compete in online contests and sign up for creative courses. As a result, he has developed good coding, video and audio editing skills and even devised a business plan. With his friends he arranges Zoom birthday parties and get-togethers to compensate for the lack of in-person meetings. He also regularly plays table-tennis with one of us.”

— Purvi Jadav, clinical psychologist, Mumbai

“In the past year since the outbreak of the pandemic, our self-driven daughter Maya — class VII — has pursued a mix of restricted outdoor and indoor activities together with school work. She is an avid reader and is fond of physical and creative activities — habits that we continue to encourage. She keeps in touch with her friends through WhatsApp. Fortunately her teachers are friendly and accommodative. While serious about teaching, they also focus on de-stressing her online learning through a mix of academic and practical/fun activities. On the home front, we try to maintain a jovial atmosphere. Moreover we try our best to answer her pandemic related questions with facts, and generally highlight its positive aspects.”

— Rajesh Shetty, co-founder /Chief Solutions Officer, Meytier Inc, Mumbai

“Keeping my eightyear-old son Rudra motivated and productively engaged has been a challenge over the past year. We believe that a blend of physical and mental activities brings a semblance of normalcy to his life. Therefore we introduced him to some yoga asanas and power workouts which he now loves. We involve him in household chores which gives him a sense of responsibility leading to better family bonding. Moreover we watch educational and inspirational videos together and encourage him to voice his opinions. The idea is to banish the
negativity around us and convert the study-from-home order into an opportunity to spend quality time with family members, develop life skills and make the best out of limited resources.”

— Roopa Shetty, homemaker