A London school is advising pupils to view the lockdown as a summer holiday camp to improve their mental health.
Reframing the quarantine as “Camp Corona” could help pupils who are feeling trapped and bored, according to advice from Sydenham High School.
The private girls’ school for pupils aged four to 18 is urging children to shift their perspectives.
It published a blog by its counsellor Fiona Gray with tips on having a “successful Camp Corona” and maintaining mental health. Ms Gray, a psychotherapist, said: “Instead of seeing it as a quarantine, what if we were to reframe it as a summer holiday camp — say Camp Corona. When kids go off to summer camps it is often incredibly fun, there are new rules and a new normal is created.
“So let’s introduce Camp Corona, which has a slightly different vibe. We are going to have to be intentional about creating a new way of being in this climate. Lots of events are cancelled. Some people are going to be feeling more anxious or get cabin fever.”
She suggested families write their own “camp rule”. The theme of her own camp at home is ‘fun and connection’. She said if children are feeling afraid and hopeless it might help them to go through their wardrobe and donate clothes or send a letter to a friend. If children are bored she suggested they write a list of activities they like but do not normally have time for.
She also advised pupils to get dressed, create a specific area to work in, and to try not to spend too much time reading the news or using a screen.
She urged parents to break their day up, and replace the time they normally spend commuting or doing school drop-offs with having a bath, doing yoga, meditating or going for a walk.
