Lockdown: Tips for parents coping with kids at home - 6 Minute English

86,382 views ・ 2020-04-30

BBC Learning English


Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.

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Hello. This is 6 Minute English from
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BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.
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And I'm Georgina.
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Do you remember the school holidays
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when you were a kid, Georgina?
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Ah, yes, I remember. Six whole weeks
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without school! I used to go
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to the seaside on holiday
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with my family - sometimes to the coast
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in England and sometimes
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abroad to France or Spain.
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Yes. I remember my dad driving us
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down to the seaside, looking out
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the car window and
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playing I-spy with my sister.
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But with the outbreak of the coronavirus
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pandemic many children are having
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to take an extended
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and unplanned break from school.
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And with schools now shut for
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the foreseeable future, this is
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creating challenges - both
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for children who can no longer meet
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their friends to play outdoors...
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...and for parents who want to keep
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their children occupied and
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focused without spending
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hours watching TV or
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playing on mobile phones.
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In this programme, we'll be discussing
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some advice for parents trying
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to keep their children
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educated and entertained at home
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in these unusual times. But first
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today's quiz question:
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Under normal circumstances, which
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country has the longest
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school summer holidays? Is it:
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A) Australia, B) Argentina, or C) Italy?
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Hmmm, they have really hot summers
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in Australia, right? I think maybe
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they also have long holidays,
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so I'll say a) Australia.
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OK, Georgina. We'll find out later
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whether you were right. Of course,
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what's happening
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right now is very different from normal
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school holidays. Parents and
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children may be living
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together under lockdown for weeks
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on end and this can be stressful
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as BBC Radio 4's You
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and Yours discovered when they spoke
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to parenting expert, Elizabeth O'Shea.
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The most important thing is see this
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as an opportunity.
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It's unprecedented what's going on
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but you may have a chance to have
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two or more weeks with your
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children and if you can
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change your attitude towards that
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you can actually enjoy this time
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and teach your children
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amazing coping skills for dealing with
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difficulties in the future.
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Elizabeth thinks that having a positive
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attitude by seeing the lockdown
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as an opportunity will
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help in this unprecedented situation - a
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situation which has never
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happened before.
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Adults are full of life experience
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and parents can teach their children
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things they wouldn't
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get to learn at school. Being able
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to spend time at home with
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your children can be a great
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opportunity to teach them coping skills -
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skills they can use to cope,
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or deal with, stressful situations.
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One of Elizabeth's main ideas is that
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parents shouldn't try to re-create
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a school classroom
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at home. Instead, it might be better
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to work with your children as a team
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and decide together
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what you'd like to do.
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Here she is talking about keeping kids
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entertained at home.
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I would brainstorm ideas and then
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draw up timetables of what
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you're going to do each day.
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Include a nice chunk of time, normally
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after lunch, for a bit of down time - quiet
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reading or quiet play but then, the rest of
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the time, build in activities. So playing
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with your children is wonderful... ball
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games, board games, card games,
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word games, anything -
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doing a family disco - anything that
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is fun and entertaining for them.
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If you lack ideas for what to do during
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the day, Elizabeth recommends
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brainstorming - talking
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to your children to produce ideas
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and suggestions for things to do.
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Of course, games and activities are
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fun ways of keeping children
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entertained and she suggests
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spending a chunk - or large part
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of time - on those.
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But it's difficult to find the energy
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to keep playing games all day long.
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It's also important
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to timetable in down time - time when
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you relax and do not do much,
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for example quiet reading.
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And if it all starts going wrong, here's
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Elizabeth again with a final tip.
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Pillow fights are also
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a great way to let off stream.
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If the situation becomes stressful then
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it's good to let off steam - do
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something to get
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rid of strong feelings by expressing them
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without harming anyone. You could let off
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steam in many ways - anything from
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going for a run to having a pillow fight!
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I think I'm going to need a holiday
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to get over this lockdown.
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Which reminds me... it's time to reveal the
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correct answer to this
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week's quiz question.
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I asked you which country's schools
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usually have the longest
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summer holidays.
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I said a) Australia.
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Good try, Georgina, but the correct answer
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was c) Italy. They have up to 13
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weeks' holidays
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in the summer! Imagine how much
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fun you could have!
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Or how much English vocabulary
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you could learn!
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Today we've been giving some tips
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to parents for surviving the
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coronavirus lockdown, an
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unprecedented situation - meaning
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a situation which has never
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happened before.
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One parenting expert recommends
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keeping a positive attitude
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by focusing on the useful
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things parents can teach their children at
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home, like coping skills - skills to cope
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with stressful situations, like
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being locked down.
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A good way to generate ideas for things
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to do is brainstorming - talking
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with your children
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to come up with ideas and
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suggestions for fun learning activities.
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A large chunk - or part - of the day
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could be spent in fun ways like playing
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games or finding things out together
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on the internet.
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But don't forget to schedule in some
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down time - quiet time to relax
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and do nothing.
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And when it all gets too much,
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find healthy ways to let off steam -
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get rid of strong
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emotions by doing something energetic,
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like going for a run....
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Or having a pillow fight! Come on, Neil, I
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always have a pillow handy, just in case!
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Well, unfortunately, we've run out
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of time. Search BBC Learning English
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for more language learning programmes
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as well as English activities for your
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children during the lockdown.
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Bye for now!
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