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Until January 17, children in Poland have a break from school as part of the winter break. This year they look completely different than usual. Due to the restrictions, the children will not take advantage of the vacation offer at all, and until today it was not known whether some of them would be able to leave the house legally at all. How will this affect their physical and mental health? The experts don’t have good news.
- This year, all of Poland has a single vacation – from 4 to 17 January. During today’s press conference, the Minister of Health, Adam Niedzielski, said that restrictions on the movement of children will be eased
- It is a good decision because, as psychologist Katarzyna Mędrala-Zając points out, the decision to limit children’s freedom caused a lot of frustration among the youngest
- Keeping children at home during their free time not only affects their mental but also physical condition. According to the WHO, children should spend at least 60 minutes a day on physical activity. It’s hard to do when you can’t go outside
- You can find more up-to-date information on the TvoiLokony home page
Holidays for all children at one time
According to the regulation of the Minister of Education and Science of November 27, 2020 amending the regulation on special solutions in the period of temporary limitation of the functioning of education system units in connection with the prevention, counteraction and combating COVID-19 – in the school year 2020/2021, winter holidays are held at one time for all voivodeships – from 4 to 17 January 2021.
This year, the term of the holiday coincides with the extension of the so-called responsibility phase and the introduction of additional restrictions. Additional bans were introduced from December 28 and will last until January 17.
The restrictions apply to, among others:
- prohibition of movement of persons under the age of 16 without the care of a parent or legal guardian from Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 16:00 (except for day camps);
- closing slopes, gyms, fitness clubs and aquaparks;
- closures of most of the stores operating in the shopping centers;
- limitations of hotel functions – available only for uniformed services, medics, patients of specialized hospitals, COS centers. Staff hotels are also an exception.
In practice, children under the age of 16 have very limited opportunities to spend their free time during the holidays. Older students may leave the house on their own, but they will not go to the cinema or go skiing. They will also not meet friends in a restaurant or club.
During today’s press conference, Health Minister Adam Niedzielski announced that the restrictions on the prohibition of the movement of younger children will be eased. This is good news because, as our experts say, the long-term confinement of children at home will have an impact on the mental and physical health of children and adolescents.
Psychological consequences of closing children at home
Psychologist Katarzyna Mędrala-Zając rightly notices in an interview with Medonet that children and adolescents waited for the fact that after a long period of remote learning, they would rest and “get a little freedom”.
– They must have hoped that this contact with their peers and I suspect that the decision that they had to be looked after by adults from 8:00 am to 16:00 pm caused a lot of frustration in them. A situation in which children and adolescents are confined at home (consecutive weeks) can cause a lot of tension and trigger aggressive behavior.
Our expert also points out that school children learn to function in society primarily through contact with their peers. Depriving children of contact with peers may result in impoverishment of social behavior.
– It is important to accept the different emotions that accompany children during isolation from their peers, talk to them and teach them to deal with these emotions – she adds.
What can we do to help children get through this difficult time?
– It will certainly not help to criticize the constantly changing restrictions. Rather, we should show children and young people that this situation, which is very difficult for all of us, has its specific goal of protecting our health and, consequently, can give a sense of control over the uncertain situation, and thus – a sense of security. Purposefulness and the impact of our actions on reality has a huge role in building a sense of agency and adequate self-esteem among all people, not only children or adolescents – explains Mędrala-Zając.
She also points out that parents should not restrict their children’s contact with their peers through social media. In these difficult times, it is often the only way for children to be able to foster relationships with their peers.
– Of course, you have to control the time that the child spends in front of the screen of the monitor or phone – he adds.
Being locked up at home for so long is not only a mental but also a physical challenge.
Children’s physical condition during the lockdown
Long hours spent in front of a computer or tablet during remote learning do not have a good effect on the physical condition of children, especially if they cannot go out into the fresh air without a guardian after finishing lessons. Meanwhile, being outdoors in a group of peers helps to maintain the efficiency of not only the mind, but also the body.
Games and activities in the open air favor the oxygenation of the body, improve mobility, protect the eyes against overload and are important in the prevention of myopia. In the winter months, when it gets dark early, depriving children of the possibility of being outside the house from 8:00 to 16:00 during the winter holidays means that some of them will not be able to go for a walk or play with their peers at all.
In addition, according to WHO recommendations, children and adolescents up to 17 years of age need at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise every day. It should be mainly aerobic exercise – roller skating, cycling, running … So sports that are best done outdoors.
See: WHO advises what exercises we need in a pandemic
“Enjoyable, uncompetitive physical activity can help children develop confidence, skills and the joy of being active for the rest of their lives,” explained Dr. Stephanie Walsh, medical director of Child Wellness at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, to CNN.
It is difficult to achieve this if the child is at home from 8:00 to 16:00 during the holidays, as the guardians will be at work during this time and will not be able to leave the house with the child.
The decision to ease the travel ban for children and adolescents up to the age of 16, although taken so late, will surely be welcomed by both children and their parents.
The editorial board recommends:
- Seven reasons why you should be active in a pandemic
- How to protect children from the coronavirus?
- How to safely play sports to avoid contracting the coronavirus?
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