During lockdown, children have been away from friends and have had their worlds turned upside down. Anger is a natural emotion to expect. They have experienced some significant changes and losses such as their sense of normality. This is all part of experiencing grief.

For younger children, they don’t find it easy to connect online with their friends or are not at the right age to be able to connect via message. The lack of social engagement is undoubtedly going to have a significant effect on our children. Although schools are beginning to invite their learners back, learners must engage in social distancing and wearing of masks. This can be extremely hard for children to understand.

Moreover, many many South Africans are experiencing financial strain due to Covid-19 and the strict lockdown we experienced. Financial stress is easily felt by our children no matter how hard we try to protect them from this as it can have an effect on the parental relationships. This again, can cause anger outbursts.

My hope is that this game can help your kids explore and manage their anger. It also gives you an opportunity to walk in their shoes and see what has been bothering them. The more they are able to verbalize, the less angry they will feel.

For 3, you can change it to home or school.

I suggest ending off the game with an outlet activity such as jumping on the trampoline, doing frog jumps, running up and down a driveway/garden, swingball, breathing exercises, or even baking together. The key is connection and doing the above with your child. The more connected they feel to you, the more seen they will feel. The more seen they feel, the more calm they will be.