We at YCIS Beijing are currently faced with a difficult situation that is impacting us in different ways.

Some families are still in Beijing and are spending the majority of their days at home together without the support, outings and interaction they would normally have. Some families have gone to their home countries to stay with family or friends during this crisis. Many are in different time zones and miss their friends and teachers as well. Other families (like my own) find themselves in a virtual post Chinese New Year limbo – not at home in Beijing nor in their home countries. This adds a burden of additional cost and social isolation. The ECE team acknowledges all of these extra pressures on our families and we aim to support you all as we continue this learning journey together.

Safe and Secure - this is the most important thing, especially for our youngest learners! Re assure your children. Don’t discuss your own concerns and worries in front of them.Answer their questions simply and honestly. Children need to know why things are different but they do not to share your own anxieties

Establish a new daily routine – children will benefit from a calm, consistent routine. Just as we would at school, make a schedule for following up our learning ideas, reading stories together, playing with toys, meal times, nap time and don’t forget to include some active games/ play. Even though the children may be confined to indoors, they still need to keep their little bodies active. This could include things like dancing or ball games.

• Have a calm, comfortable space where children can play!See what pace is right for them. Don’t go too quickly or expect them to be interested in all the activities suggested. They will have their own ideas and these are just as important!!! Eat well, sleep well and have a balance of quiet and active times during the day.

Join our learning at home programme each school day. Provide lots of time to play!!

Allocate some time within your daily routines to do the activities, stories and songs together. As you already know, our YCIS ECE Approach has a play-based, child-lead curriculum, so the activities and ideas for learning that we send will be based on the children’s interests and other developmentally-appropriate learning activities. We encourage you to tell your child about the upcoming activities so they can look forward to participating in them with you until our regular classes resume. We look forward to working with you and your child during this time! 

The activities are suggestions.  If your child is not interested in the activity, then you can try another one. If your child wants to do the same activity more than once, please encourage them to do so, as this is their interest. Tell us about what books and songs they enjoy at home and we can develop further opportunities for engaging with these areas of interest.

It would be wonderful if you can actively participate with your child in their learning at home activities. Talk to your child about what they are doing (colours, shapes, actions, etc.) and encourage them in the activity.

Communicating with your teachers about your children’s learning interests at home allows teachers to make suggestions to extend learning at home and also enable teachers to include these ideas when planning for the following week.

Encourage children’s independence and self-help skills at home! Developing independence is an important part of our curriculum framework at school, but also an integral aspect of family life. It does need practice, and sometimes is not successful on first attempts. Perseverance leads to such a wonderful sense of achievement and it is invaluable. Children are competent and capable! They can help pack away their toys and help with other simple chores at home.

Talking together! Join your class interactive session each day – if your time zone permits. This is a good chance to see and talk to your teachers and friends. You can also make personal contact with your friends and families through other platforms such as WeChat and Facetime.Offer interaction with members of the family and limit passive screen time - remember to talk, draw, count, match, play, read, dance, sing, pretend, move, create, build and imagine together every day!!

Don’t forget that children are learning all the time. They learn from the conversations that we have with them, from what they see, hear, play, read and sing! So, enjoy this special time with your little ones and see what wonderful ideas and creativity they have as we share this journey together!

This article was shared by Maryanne Harper, ECE Co-ordinator.