Malayali parents keep their children creatively engaged during lockdown

The unexpected closure of schools across the country as part of controlling the Covid-19 pandemic has thrown up challenges for parents. Now, with the lockdown too in place, we talk to a few Malayali parents to know how they are keeping their kids engaged on their extended vacation

‘I try to keep my son physically active’
Vivek Gopan, actor
With the lockdown in full force, my son Sidharth and I have found a new interest – book cricket.We have two teams and take the last digit of the page numbers as the runs the batsman scores every ball. This also helps Sidharth, who is nine years old, calculate mentally and he also gets to know more about international cricket teams and players. I also focus on getting him physically active. As we are inside the house, I try to get him to do small workouts with me daily to keep him healthy.

‘Roya finds joy in crafts’
Arya, actress
My eight-year-old daughter Roya knows we can’t go out now, and so she spends her time making crafts by looking at do-it-yourself videos on YouTube and also colouring them. Her creative projects include making greeting cards for her friends and family, paper wallets, paper notebooks and drawing. She also likes reading fables and watching dance videos of children. She knows the lockdown is for protection against Covid-19 and is determined that unless she completes her craftwork, she won’t move from the place.

‘My son loves reading and narrating stories’
Krishna Priya, bank manager
My six-year-old son Advik R Krishna does get bored but he tries to overcome that by inventing his own games like a simple quiz where he gets to play the quiz master. He has stopped watching TV and now has developed a keen interest in reading books and children’s magazines. I think the lockdown has made kids explore all options to stave off boredom. Earlier it was hard to make him sit and read storybooks, but now he does it voluntarily. If Advik loves the stories, he also tries to draw the characters. He is also now a storyteller and makes up his own characters and tales.

‘We involve our child in our daily activities’
Ramesh AS, techie
While the lockdown has spoiled our summer vacation plans, we are now thinking of ways of making it fun for our four-year-old daughter Shreya at home. As both my wife and I have to work from home, our day usually starts by waking up early and we have also got Shreya to do the same. She used to draw pictures, read books, watch baby videos but we also want her to be aware of daily activities and household chores that would be useful to her in the future. She now joins us when we are watering the plants and even helps with getting vegetables from the fridge when we are cooking. When she does that, she also learns to count and the names of the vegetables. By involving her in washing and cleaning, we make her understand the importance of cleanliness and the need to lead a hygienic lifestyle. This helps the child to learn to be responsible.