Kids doing fine in adapting to new normal
PRESCHOOLS and kindergartens have been allowed to resume operations since July 1 and I am one of the parents who have been sending my kid to kindergarten.
To be honest, I did not know what to expect and how my 4-year-old son would cope with the new norms at his kindergarten. But he was very excited to go because he was bored at home and missed his friends.
Of course, while I am not against it, I had been apprehensive. Staying at home would mean not meeting anyone other than family members and this is not for children’s social skills, especially for my kid who needs a longer time to adapt to strangers when he started schooling.
To my surprise, the first day turned out just fine. I was expecting him to have trouble familiarising himself with a new surrounding and people he had not met for more than three months.
He was fine wearing a mask to school. He was also cooperative when his teacher checked his temperature and he sanitised his hands often. He only started doing all these when he went to school. He didn’t go out during the Movement Control Order and I also did not teach him explicitly about all these hygienic measures.
At school, he had to sit apart from his classmates and avoid sharing personal belongings with others. He is coping so well so far and enjoying his school time more than ever.
I think all the efforts to educate the community, especially children, by the government are a success. For example, the use of Papa Zola and Pipi to explain in simpler terms about Covid-19 to children is really helpful.
The community messages about Covid-19 and the animated cartoons, which have been repeatedly shown on television, had contributed to Covid-19 awareness in my child.
Kindergartens have taken measures to ensure kids can attend lessons safely. Since not all parents have agreed to send their children back to kindergarten at the moment, teachers can apply the standard operating procedure outlined by the Health Ministry and the National Security Council.
The first week of school was spent introducing and familiarising the children to the new norms. They may be young, but they can understand if the exposure is right. I hope we can all live with these new norms and that everything will be fine.
NURSYUHADA ZAKARIA Universiti Teknologi Mara, Pasir Gudang, Johor