Confinement and children: how to prepare them to go back to the daycare centre

Your children have lived for several weeks with their family being almost the only social link. So does this mean that their return to the daycare centre will be difficult? The key to peace of mind lies in a very simple formula, as revealed by the expert at pop e poppa. 

Due to the partial confinement measures resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, the daily life of your children has changed, first in an abrupt manner and then over a period of several weeks. Perhaps your children even like this new routine of spending time with their parents! Nevertheless, don’t be afraid of returning ‘to normal’. To ensure going back to the daycare centre goes as smoothly as possible, follow the advice of Anne Nagy, our daycare centre manager specialised in parental coaching.

Confinement, a new point of reference

Though confinement may bring to mind holiday periods due to a break in the usual rhythm, it remains an exceptional state of affairs. ‘In the daycare centre, we prepare children for the arrival of the holidays,’ explains Anne Nagy. ‘As a result of this partial confinement, we had to react without being able to anticipate. In terms of the pop e poppa network in French-speaking Switzerland, our ‘popapp’ application has enabled each facility to interact with parents, providing them with ideas for activities and support, with the possibility of individual video conferences.’

During a period of confinement, social contact is limited to the inhabitants of the home, and the secret of a seamless return ‘to normal’ can be summed up in two very simple but far-reaching words: STAY CONNECTED!

Give the daycare centre a second life

To nourish this precious link that will soften the new change of pace, continue to bring the world of the daycare centre to life at home. Talk about people, children, look at photos. You can also walk past the building while on a walk, take a look at it while explaining to your child that it is currently closed but will reopen.

Talk openly about the post-confinement period – mention the fact that you will return to work while your child is in the crèche.

What about the little ones?

Did you know that up to 18 months of age, months are counted in years? In other words, in a baby’s perception, two months is the same as two years for an adult. For the youngest children, it might therefore be useful to allow some time to adjust before leaving them in the daycare centre for the whole day again. ‘Think of Saint-Exupéry’s Little Prince and the Fox, who tame each other with great gentleness and time,’ smiles Anne Nagy.

And maybe you’ll want to keep some of that increased family closeness after confinement? Or a few new habits? Because daily life in the post-confinement period will not be quite the same as before… since ‘we spend our lives becoming knitted together’ (Boris Cyrulnik, Un merveilleux malheur, 1999)!

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