JAKARTA - The moment of school holidays is often a dilemma for parents. When the learning routine stops, children are prone to being trapped in passive habits. Experts call this phenomenon the Structured Days Hypothesis, which is a condition where the absence of a regular schedule makes children spend more time without moving.
In fact, a number of studies note that when long holidays arrive, the duration of children's screen time can jump significantly to reach 2.5 hours every day. On the other hand, their physical activity and sleep time actually decline. Even though, WHO strongly recommends school-age children to be active at least 60 minutes every day.
Getting around the holidays with a myriad of additional tutoring schedules turns out not to be the right way out. According to Child Psychologist from Three Generations, Saskhya Aulia Prima, M.Psi., this actually robs the child's autonomy. Free time without rules, even the moment when they complain of being bored, is a golden opportunity to stimulate their creativity.
"What children need most during the school holidays is a space to move freely through Adventurous Play. This is a type of game that is a little challenging and exciting, such as running freely or climbing, but still under control," said Saskhya.
Through this game, children learn to directly face uncertainty, get up when they fall, and dare to make decisions. Letting children actively explore outdoors also serves as a 'natural anxiety vaccine'.
A survey of 2,500 parents from the University of Exeter, England, proved that children who are familiar with challenging physical games have a much lower rate of anxiety and depression symptoms.
In order for the child to remain safe without feeling restrained, parents can implement the supervision partnership method. Mom just needs to position herself as a safe zone (secure base) and a safe haven. Give them the distance to play freely, but make sure you are still within their range of vision.
"The mother's calmness is contagious and very crucial. If we are too easily anxious or a little bit forbidding, the child will actually hide his pain or tiredness because he is afraid to be told to stop playing," explained Saskhya.
When playing, a child's ability to feel signals from within his body (interoception) is not mature. The surge in adrenaline hormones often covers their fatigue. Physically, children's bodies are also more prone to dehydration because the process of evaporating body fluids is faster than adults.
When the little one suddenly fusses, is lethargic, or irritable in the middle of playing, don't rush to label them naughty. This change in attitude is an early alarm that their body is dehydrated, which often appears before physical symptoms such as dry lips or infrequent urination.
When this alarm goes off, be an engaging companion by facilitating an imaginative pit stop, including:
1. Invite your child to a shady place as if entering a pit stop for a racing car.
2. Let them take a breath for a moment.
3. Give refreshing fluid intake to restore energy.
At this moment of playing pause, the solution to the Three Children's Feet Cap is a reliable first step for parents. Understanding the dilemma of mothers who are worried that their children will drop due to unpredictable weather while exploring, this flagship brand from Kino Indonesia has been specially formulated since 2013 with fruit flavors that children really like.
Extra peace of mind for parents also comes through high quality assurance. In addition to having BPOM and Halal certifications, Cap Kaki Tiga Anak has received the Alochoice award from Alodokter. This predicate is a strong validation that the product has passed strict curation and is recommended directly by a network of expert doctors, so that it is medically safe to prevent symptoms of heat in children.
Through the #GoodForKids First Step campaign, Cap Kaki Tiga Anak invites parents to give them the freedom to explore in order to shape the character of independent children in the future.
Jesica Christianty, Senior Brand Manager of Cap Kaki Tiga Anak emphasized the importance of real support from parents in this process.
"This campaign is a reminder that a strong mental foundation is not formed inside the room. Children need the freedom to run, climb, interact with nature, and learn to solve their own problems. With the support and proper preparation from parents, the activities carried out today will be a valuable resource for their future," said Jesica.
For parents, letting children explore does not mean leaving them unprotected, but rather giving them trust with proper preparation.
"The first step #GoodForChildren is not to remove all risks from the children's world, but to equip ourselves to dare to let go. Children become strong not because they are protected from everything, but because they are trusted, knowing that their mother can always reach them," concluded Saskhya.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
