Cooped Up Kids Bouncing Off the Walls? Calm Them Down With These Tips

Some are enjoying the tranquility of quieter neighbourhoods, quieter roads, and the stillness in their homes- allowing them a place to relax, work from home, and connect in peace and quiet. On the flip side of the coin, others are struggling to balance house-work, office-work, and parent-work while still keeping their little ones as occupied as possible!

Children are not afraid to be who they are- and some are quieter and some are high-energy, but whichever category your child falls into all kids need mental and physical stimulation. Their brains are developing and they are literal balls of energy. They need an outlet to “discharge” otherwise we’re going to end up with some very unhappy, overly-energized children who don’t know what to do with themselves. Here are a few things you can do to try keep them calm, and you sane:

1. Mentally stimulating activities
2. Physical activities
3. Keep a routine
4. Homeopathic medication

As an aside, I LOVE this article on the importance of play for children!

Mentally stimulating activities: When kids are at school or creche, they are in a different environment to the usual home environment. This means that they are discovering new things, making social connections, and having new experiences every day. Their brains are literally forming new connections as they are learning! The wonderful thing is that there is no reason this new-connection work can’t happen at home too.

Reading is an amazing way for kids to exercise their brains. Not only does it help them with their reading skills but it also exercises their imaginations and they learn new things from an outside world in the comfort of their own homes (even if that world is a fantasy world!). If your child is too young to read, then read too them. It’s a great way to still give that imagination a workout, but with the added benefit of some extra special bonding.

Art is another really cool way to stimulate your child’s brain. I’ve received some really great drawings from my kid-patients with just a pen and paper, but the sky is the limit! Colour pens, pencils, crayons, finger-painting, watercolours, coloured paper- the options are endless. Give them a prompt every day- for example, “today I’d like you to draw a picture of our family”. You can also make requests that will take a lot more thought and attention to detail, such as: “Today I’d like you to draw what your alien space-pet would look like!” or even, “Today I’d like for you to make up a whole new world- what do the people look like? What language do they speak? What do the animals look like? What do the cars look like?”. I’m sure you’ll get some amazing artworks to hang in their rooms (and a little bit of quiet time for yourself!)

Physical activities: Children need to be able to move and play! Physical activities provide the perfect outlet for pent-up energy.

Gardening is something my neighbour’s children seem to really enjoy. They are so cute with their sun-hats (safety first!), spades, and boots. They sit in a little section of the garden and dig, plant flowers (dig them up again!), discover new bugs and worms- it’s physically demanding (with the added benefit of new discoveries!) and they’ll be sure to need a nap afterwards (more quiet time for you!). Yes, a section of your garden you don’t mind handing over to your kids is ideal. But for those of you living in apartments with no garden, why not get a big pot, fill it with some soil and let your kids plant smaller plants?

Hopscotch is a game I love for kids. Chalk is easy to wash off your floor (bonus) and it not only exercises those brains but it requires a lot of jumping. In fact you could incorporate the hopscotch as part of an obstacle course (if you have the space). Having a game with a beginning and an end is a good way to stimulate those reward centres in the brain as well- boosting self confidence!

Keeping a routine: As a kid, consistency is very important. Imagine having your whole world around you change, and you’re not even sure you understand why! It’s been weird enough being an adult and adjusting to these changes, imagine being little and not understanding why you can’t see your friends (or even grandma!), why you can’t go along for walking the dog, why you have to stay inside all. the. time! Just as it’s important to keep a schedule for us as adults, it’s vitally important to keep a level of normalcy with a routine with your kids.

This means that they should go to bed at the normal time, wake up at the normal time. Get them ready for the day, just as you would if they were going to school (although I think a pajama day is allowed every now and then!). Give them their breakfast around the usual time. Keep them mentally stimulated during “school time”, let them have breaks, and naps, just as usual. Get them ready for bed with a bath at the usual time and tuck them in when they usually get tucked in. Having a routine that doesn’t break means that they will have to adjust to a lot less, and will be healthier for it.

Of course, this period where we are needing to stay at home comes with it’s challenges, but we can also take the special gift of time we have been given and use it to its full potential. Spend a little extra time than usual with your kids, even if it doesn’t fit in with the usual routine. Who knows you may love it so much you make it part of the daily routine for the rest of time!

Homeopathic medication: A big concept in alternative medicine is finding the cause. Obviously kids being cooped up all day with no form of discharge is going to take a toll on their moods, their energies and their behaviours. So it’s vital that we attack the issue with a multi-level approach- stimulating them mentally, allowing them time to discharge physically, keeping a schedule- these are important causes of disharmony that cannot be overlooked. The wonderful thing about using homeopathic medication is that it treats the symptoms a person is having no matter the cause. This means that all those lockdown symptom your child (and you) is dealing with can be alleviated with the correct homeopathic formulation! A qualified homeopath will be able to assess your child and ask all the right questions to be able to formulate a very specific and completely safe homeopathic medication for your child. These are just some examples of “lockdown symptoms” that homeopathic intervention can assist in:

• Difficulty sleeping
• Bad mood
• Temper tantrums
• Bouncing off the walls

Anything where a symptom is present, homeopathy can help!

Stay happy and healthy during this time. Ensure that you are using it to it’s full potential- and yes, sometimes that means pajama and pancake Thursdays!

If your kids are bouncing off the walls and you’re looking for more help to calm them down, pop me an email at Info@DrLornaBlackwell.co.za or visit my website and make a booking online!

Disclaimer! Please consult your primary health care provider before undertaking any medical advice.