Playtime In A Pandemic

Kids are returning to school but they’re having to learn restrictive new rules about social distancing – here’s advice on putting some of the fun back into life

- Lindsay De Freitas

NO SHARING of lunch boxes, no hugs or high fives, no games of tag or soccer . . . It can be hard for kids to get their heads around all the new school rules. But if in doubt, the general rule of thumb is that many things they used to enjoy are now a no-go.

While entering level 2 lockdown has given South Africans a glimmer of hope, the threat posed by Covid-19 is still very real and as more schools have started reopening their doors, they’re taking no chances.

For learners this means masks on at all times, plenty of hand sanitiser and avoiding each other like the plague.

Which leaves very little they can actually do when break time rolls around other than to sit forlornly on the playground, metres away from their friends, and quietly eat their lunch.

It’s a heartbreaking sight. But it’s a similar story around the world. A junior school in Bangkok, Thailand, is going to extremes, keeping learners isolated in plastic pens all day, while kids at a school in Belgium are expected to walk around with hula hoops at all times to ensure adequate social distancing.

Thankfully, the measures in place at most SA schools aren’t so radical, but still looking at the subdued playgrounds, it’s clear things are far from normal.

While for many parents it was a huge relief to be able to hand their kids back into the capable hands of their teachers, sending them back to school has created a whole new set of worries.