Plus, the benefits of craftwork, a stylized Halloween, an amazing miniature world, honoring the sloth
|  | Sunday, October 18, 2020 | | | | |
 | PHOTOGRAPH BY THOMAS BARWICK, GETTY IMAGES
| | By Rachel Buchholz, KIDS AND FAMILY Editor in Chief
I’m honestly not sure how parents are doing it.
A recent survey from the American Psychological Association confirms what most of us already know: COVID-19 is taking a much bigger emotional toll on parents than on adults without children. Of those moms and dads, 71 percent are stressed over managing their children’s at-home learning. That’s in addition to the 70 percent of all working adults who say their jobs are causing significant stress right now.
You’re probably familiar with all the recommended stress relievers: Take some breaths. Get some sleep. See some friends. But here’s one you might not have thought of—and might not think will even work: handing over control to your kids.
“The major challenge of parenting is finding this balance between supporting and enabling,” says child development specialist Claire Lerner. In these times, often that means letting your kids take on more responsibility or being more independent. That gives you a break, but it also teaches kids important life lessons. “When a child takes on new responsibilities, they get the sense that they are capable and confident,” Lerner adds.
New responsibilities can include folding clothes, gardening, or cooking. (The Nat Geo Kids Cookbook has some easy recipes.) You can also put them in charge of some of that scheduling we’re all doing, like taking ownership for Saturdays. Even granting them the independence they crave can lead to a positivity boost for kids—and some free time for you. (Are you giving your child more responsibility to take some stress off your shoulders? We want to know.)
“The first time my nine-year-old son went roaming the neighborhood independently, he came home and started his homework without being prompted,” says my colleague Laura Goertzel, Nat Geo Kids and Family digital director, supermom, and writer of this article about letting kids take charge. “I think his sense of accomplishment elevated his sense of control and responsibility—plus I didn’t have to spend 20 minutes harassing him to start his homework.”
So take a breath. Get some sleep. See some friends. Then tell your kid it’s time to empty out the dishwasher.
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| | | |
 | | PHOTOGRAPH BY STOCKROCKET, GETTY IMAGES | | | Recipes for relaxation. Those squishies, mushies, and gooshies your children are probably crafting with could actually be helping them de-stress. Science is showing that enjoyable sensory input can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps us rest and conserve physical energy. “There’s something about different tactile things that actually create a sense of mindfulness,” says counselor and play therapist Tracy Turner-Bumberry. “It helps children hone in on what’s happening right now and tune out past sadness or future anxiety.” Try these DIY recipes for slime, moon sand, and other tactile depressurizers to help kids—and maybe even yourself—calm down in these stressful times. | | | |
 | | PHOTOGRAPH BY SEVENTYFOUR, GETTY IMAGES | |
Trick or treat: Last week we asked you how you planned on celebrating a safe and healthy Halloween in this slightly scary year. Parents are definitely coming up with ways to make a new kind of trick-or-treating seem normal for children. Ideas including clipping individual goodie bags to a clothesline, sending candy down decorated carpet tubes, and a rope-activated doorbell six feet from the door that would trigger candy to fall into a chute. (You just have to brave the skeleton and graveyard in the front yard first.)
The tiny world: Maybe your young ones can connect to the contributions of small things in our big world. This annual photo contest features the colorful beauty of a freshwater snail’s tongue, clownfish embryos, or the fins of a baby zebrafish. See the winners of the latest annual Small World Photomicrography Competition.
Family discussion: Sometimes little things cause big problems, like embers in wildfires, as we’ve discovered here. And sometimes ignoring little things, such as flossing, leads to a mouthful of cavities (or it did with one of your editors here). What’s a little thing that, if you don’t do it, turns out to be a super big thing? And how can you remember to keep doing those little things?
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| TRY THIS: BOREDOM BUSTERS FOR KIDS | |
 | | PHOTOGRAPH BY JOEL SARTORE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTO ARK | |
Lazy inspiration. Has the pandemic made your at-home student a little sluggish? They probably have nothing on sloths, which can snooze up to 20 hours a day. But like your kid, these tropical mammals also have amazing traits, like that they turn into sluggers if attacked, biting and slashing their attacker. Show kids more facts about this slow but spectacular mammal to celebrate International Sloth Day on Tuesday, then watch a video together to find out which is lazier: a sloth or a koala. (Hm … wonder if one of the considerations is that sloths only go to the bathroom once a week!)
Meet a bug expert! This week in Nat Geo Education’s Explorer Classroom, kids can meet biologist and explorer Leonardo Lanna to learn how to find and protect praying mantises. He’ll help show them just how amazing the overlooked world of tiny insects can be.
This newsletter was edited and curated by David Beard and Rachel Buchholz. Have a healthy and a sane (as possible) week ahead!
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