We’re well into a second national lockdown now and children across the UK have been drawing what they think COVID-19 looks like and we couldn’t agree more with some of them. From drawings of monsters to sheer chaos, it’s what we’re all feeling!
In a project by Great Bean Bags, the team wanted to get a view of the pandemic through the innocent eyes of children, in an attempt to put a positive spin on something we’re all going to be living with for the foreseeable future.
The drawings are from children aged two to 10-years-old and cover interpretations in the form of monsters, chaotic scribbles and rainbows, some examples are below, with the full gallery here:
Commenting on the project, Patrick Tonks, creative director at Great Bean Bags said: “There is absolutely no denying that 2020 has been a terrible year for many of us and for children it has likely been confusing and frustrating to not really understand what’s happening. In an attempt to try and embrace the situation we are all in, we wanted to see the pandemic through the eyes of children and get an insight to how they view what’s going on.
“As we get older, we can be guilty of losing our imagination and curious view of the world, so we thought this would not only be quite insightful, but fun and could be a good vehicle to having the conversation about the situation with your children if you haven’t already!”
One drawing even came with a caption we can all empathise with: ‘No rainbow, no touching people, no touching flowers, no touching birds and no touching leaves’.
If you haven’t already, how can you discuss what is happening in the world with your young children? Child clinical psychologist, Lucy Russell from They Are The Future: “Often a child’s reactions to such an event will mirror the parent(s). So, if parents are able to stay calm and continue with life in as normal a way as possible, then the child will (very likely) pick up on all the verbal and non-verbal signs of containment and be able to do the same. “Adults should communicate the implications of the virus in the context of ensuring the child feels safe and contained. You can read more of my advice here, but to summarise, six strategies I recommend are:
- Shift your (and their) focus to what can be controlled.
- Limit access to the news.
- Work on deep, slow breathing and consider mindfulness.
- Focus on activities that soothe the senses.
- Keep up as many routines as you can.
- Notice and create positives out of adversity.”
