Kids in the time of COVID-19

What's a kid to do?

Social distancing can be particularly challenging for children who are used to spending time in school and with friends.

CBC Radio's On the Coast spoke with Vancouver 'tweens to find out how they're coping in the era of COVID-19.

Passing the time

Technology is playing a big role in keeping kids occupied, as many parents relax rules about screen time — for now. But non-digital pastimes are popular too.

Lucy Stewart-Ng, 11,  says, "I am playing on my tablet a lot and watching a lot of movies and reading a lot of books."

Sisters Tessa and Melia Motola-Boyd , 7 and 10, are enjoying sleeping in, reading, biking and "bingeing on Netflix."

And Olive Cove, 11, has found a creative way to connect from afar, after she found a rock painted with a sunset while on a family walk. "It gave me a really good idea to paint rocks and put inspirational words on them like hope and courage and peace. I've been hiding them on the hikes so people can see them."

Missing friends and face-to-face time

Unlimited texting and gaming may seem like a dream come true, but it turns out kids crave the company of friends and family IRL (in real life).

"Well, I can't see anybody really, so that's a bummer," says Marcus Nelson, 10. "All the places are closed and can't see my grandma and grandpa."

Maxine Kassis, 10, misses a time when she was  "able to hang out with my friends instead of just texting and calling them."

Vancouver playgrounds have been closed since March 20, which has kids like Oliver Couture longing for the good old days of "going to the schools to play stuff. Like, going on the equipment." 

And sisters Natalie and Marlo Laurence, 7 and 9, miss piano lessons and hanging out with their friends, though they are enjoying spending time together and with their dog Gatsby.

Looking forward to the future

Kids are already thinking about what they'll do when this era of social distancing is over.

"I think I'm going to have a big party," says Marcus Nelson. "And see my grandparents again."

Swimming tops the list for kids like Maxine Kassis, who's looking forward to "going the the pool with a friend, because pools are closed now."

Olive Cove can't wait to get back to school. "I've been having a lot of fun in school and we were going to go on a kayaking field trip and a field trip to Playland and learn a lot of new things. But school's been cancelled for a while.

Keeping up with schoolwork

On March 17, the B.C. government announced that in-class instruction has been suspended indefinitely to help stem the spread of COVID-19. Details on what future instruction will look like have yet to be revealed. Spring Break ran from March 14 - 29 for most students in the province and some kids and parents are already contemplating how to keep up with schoolwork.

"My parents have been really helpful in trying to organize how we're going to manage this," says Lucy Stewart-Ng. "They've come up with a bunch of different subjects for us to work on. We're going to do at least two hours a day."

Natalie Laurence is has been keeping up with her math using an iPad game, while her sister Marlo has been doing lots of work sheets her teacher sent home.

Melia Motola-Boyd thinks her mom is going to home school her and little sister Tessa. "Which I am NOT looking forward to!"

Oliver Couture says he hasn't actually thought about his school work, but he's keeping up with his reading anyway.