A one-week break was given to the ongoing education process during the pandemic. Stating that this break should be used well, experts emphasize that screen time should be shortened and children should be allowed to move physically.
According to experts, the meaning of the screen has changed with the panem. While "screen" now means homework and responsibility; the boundary between home and school has also disappeared.
Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Hospital Child Adolescent Psychiatry Specialist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Yektaş pointed out the importance of the break in education during the pandemic process and gave advice.
Each child is affected differently
Stating that children need a break more during the pandemic process, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Yektaş said, "It would be incomplete to talk about a break or the physical emotional or academic needs that need to be met without talking about the meaning of being out of school. The effects of the pandemic process were different for each age and developmental period. Therefore, a generalization in the form of children would not be correct. Instead, it is necessary to consider more specifically the age, developmental period and the needs of that period and the situation before the pandemic."
The situation is very different for children starting school this year
Noting that the situation is different for children who started school this year, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Yektaş said, "The needs of a child who has just started school will of course be different from those of a child whose school and class have not changed but whose connection to school has decreased due to the pandemic. The concept of school, the order that school brings to the child's life is actually very essential, and if you had to meet the school in this period, the settlement of this concept in you as a child and the meanings it will carry for you will be very different."
The meaning of the screen has changed
Noting that school means "online lessons" during the pandemic process, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Yektaş said, "It also means a lot of children and teachers that we have not even seen their faces yet, that we will not see behind masks for a long time, that we do not know at all. While children normally use the screen for play and entertainment before and after school, the meaning of the screen has suddenly changed. The screen started to mean duties and obligations, lessons. However, this change or shift in meaning may require a long time for the child who has not had such an experience until that moment."
It became difficult for them to internalize school
"Where the play ends and the lessons and responsibilities begin. Concept and confusion may arise," Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Yektaş said, "The absence of a physical environment also makes it difficult for us to draw the mental framework, especially at this age. Because this is an age when children have concrete processing skills, that is, an age when they learn many things through experience. School is a physical environment, but at the same time, school as a concept is an abstract concept that includes many variables, and the internalization of this concept is possible through repetitive experiences with this concept. The environment created by the pandemic has actually eliminated direct physical experiences at school. In this case, it became very difficult for the child to internalize many other concepts brought by the school."
School is the most important tool to develop personality
Stating that the most important benefit of school is the social interaction experiences and peer communication in addition to academic skills, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Yektaş said, "This experience brought with it the deprivation of school, which is perhaps the most important tool other than parents in shaping our identity that makes us who we are and that we have developed since childhood. Therefore, it is very difficult and troublesome for a child who has not met these resources to internalize the concept of school."
How were children affected by the pandemic?
Stating that how children are affected by the pandemic process is a situation that needs to be evaluated individually for each child, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Yektaş said, "However, the period the child was in before the pandemic, how he / she spent the pandemic process, the level of anxiety he / she experienced after the pandemic, the level of anxiety of the parents, the concrete measures taken regarding the school have a very determining role in determining the psychological reactions or behaviors that the child will show against this period."
The boundary between school and home has disappeared
Noting that the boundary between school and home disappeared in children during the pandemic process, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Yektaş said, "The boundaries between school and home have disappeared. It also coincides with a role confusion, which is actually important in the development of a child, and the same is actually true for parents. Because they have more contact with their children, whom they can only see in the mornings and spend limited time on weekends. Therefore, mothers and fathers had to take over the follow-up of home lessons and homework. For many parents, this is actually a very new and challenging experience. It has almost become an obligation for parents to teach outside their own roles at home. If you have to go to work, you have to find someone to entrust your children to. On the other hand, if you have to work from home, you may not be able to follow up at home or provide proper supervision. Therefore, keeping up with this marathon is actually tiring and quite troublesome for both the child and the parent."
Dealing with distractors is very challenging
Stating that it is quite challenging to concentrate on listening to lessons at home, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Yektaş said, "Imagine that you are listening to a lesson in the bedroom or living room of the house. You have your toys right next to you. Or your internet game is waiting for you there, so being able to resist distractions is already a very difficult situation at the beginning of school age. Home actually means a comfortable environment for all of us. When we come home, we relax and rest. Trying to implement such a thing at home also leads to a very serious motivation problem in this sense."
Noting that the holiday is a period of rest and free time, Yektaş stated that the holiday is also important during the pandemic process and said, "We need to use this period as an opportunity to rest and review ourselves and our child in terms of needs."
Long-term screen use should not be allowed
Noting that long-term screen use should definitely be restricted as it is a situation that also disrupts attention in school-age children, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Yektaş said the following:
"Since long-term screen use disrupts both attention and emotional regulation and behavior regulation, appropriate restrictions must be made, even if it is a pandemic. Here again, the attitude of the parent is very important. We have more problems when the parent who should step in is overly restrictive or overly flexible. Of course, this does not mean leaving children alone. It is absolutely necessary to keep it in balance. Our screen time has already increased in the period we call the new normal. Even though we didn't want to, we spent the school year in front of the screen. At the very least, it is necessary to restrict the screen a little more during this holiday period, to direct children a little more to indoor and outdoor activities outside the screen, and to create opportunities for them to move. Because this is a big problem for children. Because a child actually means movement. We actually use our movements while regulating our emotions. Sometimes we even use movement to focus our attention. It is very important to reduce the screen and increase movement, at least on vacation. Because when we are at home, our movements are very restricted. They are also deprived of the sports activities they can do. Therefore, increasing physical mobility inside and outside the home should be an important part of the break."
