Tips to combat the quarantine bug in children
How do children generally react to mandatory quarantine? Are there differences between younger and older children?
Most children don't like the quarantine requirement. For many pupils, compulsory quarantine means that they miss out on a lot at school.
Do you mean school material or social life?
They are isolated at home and their important peer contacts are lost. They are not allowed to play with their friends - this is essential, especially for younger children. But older children are also quickly fed up with the quarantine obligation and want to meet up with their friends. During the 2021 sports holidays, there were many travel restrictions and recommendations to minimise contact with other people. During this period, we had many children who said they were not looking forward to the holidays and would rather continue going to school.
Do you experience the children differently after quarantine than before?
Some have a need to catch up and enjoy socialising with other children and school staff. Others show no visible changes, but are happy to be «allowed» to go back to school. After quarantine, many have fallen far behind the other children in the class and have a lot of catching up to do.
What does the school or you as a school social worker do for the child who is currently in quarantine?
Contact is primarily maintained by the teacher and attempts are made to ensure that the children and young people do not miss a lot of school material. If this is not enough, the teacher contacts us or the children and young people contact us themselves. Parents are informed by letter that they should also contact us if they need support or help and the situation at home is tense.
When do pupils have to go into quarantine?
Canton of Zurich:
Kindergarten and 1st to 3rd primary classes that do NOT test repetitively:
If three or more children in a class/group test positive for coronavirus within 10 days, the entire class/group must go into quarantine
4th to 6th primary classes that do NOT test repetitively:
Quarantine for insufficiently protected contacts. Insufficiently protected contacts must quarantine if they had close contact with the infected person in the 48 hours before the onset of symptoms or before the test was taken and no one or only one of the two people wore a mask (insufficient protection).
Secondary school that does NOT test repetitively:
Quarantine for insufficiently protected close contacts. All secondary school pupils and adults who have had close contact with the infected person without sufficient protection must go into quarantine.
Source: Canton of Zurich
Canton of St. Gallen:
One pupil: If a child or adolescent tests positive, the people living in the same household (adults and children) who have neither been vaccinated nor recovered will be quarantined. The other children/pupils in the group/class or the teachers/carers will not be quarantined.
Several children up to 6th grade: If two or more children/adolescents test positive in the same class/group less than 10 days apart, the cantonal medical office will order an outbreak test in this class. No outbreak tests are carried out in kindergarten classes.
Pupils at secondary level I: If several pupils in secondary level I classes test positive for Covid 19, no outbreak testing is usually carried out.
Source: Kanston St. Gallen
Is there distance learning for children in quarantine?
Yes, this is possible, teachers have sometimes left it up to the pupils themselves to decide whether they want to take part in lessons virtually (via Teams) or not. Some have used it, others less so. It can be very stressful for the child concerned because they always have to sit in front of the device and can't really be there.
What advice do you have for children in quarantine?
We recommend creating a fixed daily routine or defining one together with the parents. They can incorporate lots of fun activities such as exercise and games. It is important that children and young people have contact with others. As well as chatting and phoning their friends and relatives, another option is to write letters or make someone happy with a drawing. We also recommend writing a quarantine diary in which they mention funny anecdotes or visualise the duration of the quarantine, for example.
How do you mean visualise?
For example: 10 days quarantine = 10 sweets. Or draw a timeline to see that the quarantine period is getting shorter and shorter.
What activity tips do you have for children in quarantine?
Doing handicrafts, building huts and exercise landscapes, helping around the house, reading or playing theatre. Define a small project, such as doing daily push-ups or learning to draw a specific object.
Also amusing and supportive: Have a look around your favourite social network, there are numerous tips under #quarantinetips or similar hashtags. It's exhausting. But it will pass and, above all, many families feel the same way.
- Allow boredom! Yes, sitting at home alone can be very boring at times. But boredom is a good thing, as new ideas and great joy arise when the boredom is gone!
- Play virtually: Via Facetime or other video telephony providers, you can play City, Country, River, for example, which works from around second grade. Other games can also be played virtually together, smarticular has a good collection.
- Not all gazing is the same: The quarantine is exhausting for everyone involved, so it's okay to watch a bit more TV or eat more chocolate, we think. And there are definitely useful TV programmes such as Anna and the Wild Animals for the little ones, Checker Tobi for the slightly older children and the numerous knowledge programmes or children's news from SRF .
- There's something for the ears! By the way, it doesn't always have to be the screen, radio plays are also a great way to pass the time and you can also do some handicrafts or «gegrümschelet». Good radio plays are also available from SRF and we have collected our favourites for young and old here: Our favourite radio plays for young and old
- Making friendship bracelets for classmates: Friendship bracelets always go down well with children of all ages. Simpler knotting techniques are suitable for younger children. Professionals use more than two threads. Some inspiration and instructions.
- Making stars from sandwich bags (suitable for the Christmas season): Nothing could be easier than making something that looks decorative. And it takes just two minutes per star. A few stars will be created in 10 days of quarantine.
Instructions and more craft tips on our Pinterest account. - Mummy-child colouring book: The Almond book offers motifs on a double page, each designed for adults and children. This gives mum or dad more details to colour in, while the kids have fun on the larger coloured areas.
- Virtual museum tour for children: want a little education? Some major world museums can also be visited virtually. The list ranges from the Museé d'Orsay in Paris to the Guggenheim Museum and MoMA in New York. An overview of the most beautiful museums
- Surprise activities for every day: Parents create activities for their child for the duration of the quarantine. The child can then draw a slip of paper every day and pursue the sporting activity. How about playing Gummitwist again? Who remembers the 10 ball?
- Street Racket for indoors and outdoors: The game Street Racket can be played not only in the garden but also in the living room. A small ball is required. If you don't have a racket to hand, you can also use a school book as a batting instrument. The game can be expanded with various tasks. The video instructions explain how to do it. You can also download the free Street Racket app. www.streetracket.net
- Learn to sing a song with karaoke: Grab a karaoke mic and learn a song via YouTube. The aim is to present the song to the family by the end of the quarantine.
- You can find more creative tips for families in our article: «The best online tips against the corona pandemic»
Is something being done as a class to ensure that the child does not feel excluded in quarantine?
Some class teachers write cards or short letters. In one class, the pupils have prepared a «welcome back drawing» for the child concerned.
Is it bad for all children to have to go into quarantine or are there some who would rather be at home than at school?
There are certainly some who prefer to be at home or find this nice at first. However, as the quarantine lasts, these children soon miss their friends and the community at school. We find that most of them are happy to come back and are glad to be back at school.
