Making sense of the pandemic is challenging for everyone, but for children, it’s especially hard.
Six-year-old Willow Beattie is in her second year of school and she has spent much of it learning from home.
Her dad Chris said not knowing when she will be going back to school has left her unsettled.
“She’s worried about not seeing her friends and how long the lockdown is going to go for,” he said.
She is just one of many kids experiencing heightened anxiety during the pandemic.
Change in routine can throw kids ‘out of kilter’
The CEO of not-for-profit Smiling Mind, Dr Addie Wootten, said remote learning and changes in routine can be particularly harmful for children.
“I think we underestimate the impact these big events can have on young children … those changes can throw kids out of kilter in terms of their mental health,” she said.
Kids Helpline reported a surge in calls to its counselling hotline during last summer’s bushfires — the number of calls has surged again during the pandemic.
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