Coronavirus pandemic pressure eased by children's chalk messages and letters of thanks
The last day of term one was out of the ordinary for students around Victoria.
At Kananook Primary School, in Melbourne's south-east, students were already being kept at home, and the ones that remained were brimming with questions.
Teacher Jemma Bull said the end of term was usually full of excitement and conversations about where kids were going on holiday, but this year there was just confusion.
So she asked her class of 10-year-olds what they wanted to do. They wanted to write letters.
Armed with sharpies and brightly coloured paper, the children began writing messages of thanks to everyone they knew was helping the community get through the coronavirus pandemic.
One student said they wanted to thank the government, another wanted to send a letter to the aged care centre around the corner where her mum worked.
"A lot of them wanted to thank Woolies. Some said thanks for the toilet paper and thanks for stocking your shelves," Ms Bull said.
Many students wanted to thank their parents. Police officers also made the cut.
Ms Bull said letter writing was a way for the children to express their compassion and help them feel more in control.
'They know more than we think'
One of Ms Bull's students, Willow, had already written several letters to essential workers since the physical-distancing rules were brought in.
Her mum Gerri Pigeot said the nine-year-old was "a little bit obsessed with doctors" and wrote a letter thanking them "for making all the medicines and helping people who need help".
Ms Pigeot said the letters showed Willow was "pretty aware" about what was going on and had found a way to feel like she was doing her part.
"Even before the first day when we heard about the virus she was singing happy birthday when she was washing her hands," she said.
"She said to me, 'Mum, there are old people at risk, we have to wash our hands and sing happy birthday.'
"The kids, they know more than we think."
'Writing letters is a way children can help'
From teddy bear hunts and rainbows, to chalk messages and letters of thanks, children appear to be taking the initiative when it comes to staying positive during the coronavirus crisis.
Melbourne University educational psychologist Chelsea Hyde said creative projects were a way children took control of their world.
Dr Hyde said adults should follow suit because it was common to feel out of control during the one-in-100-year health crisis.
"We know what's helpful for our mental health is to create opportunities where we think we are helping," Dr Hyde said.
"Letter writing is a way to create points of connection and foster a sense of belonging that isn't reliant on technology.
"It's nice to go back to that. I commend [the children] on their ingenuity."
Researchers have been telling us for years that practicing gratitude boosts our mental health, and now is exactly the time to take that on board, Dr Hyde said.
"It encourages us to reflect on the good things and what we have access to versus the focus on the deficit and the negative and what's going wrong.
"We're very much getting caught up in the changes and trying to create a new normal for ourselves, so adults practicing gratitude is equally important.
"This is a powerless situation for a lot of people and writing letters is a way people, especially children, can help."
Dianne Vella-Brodrick, the head of research at Melbourne University's Centre for Positive Psychology, agreed and said it was important for children to be able to express themselves in a safe and comforting way during difficult times.
"All too often negative events preoccupy us and positive events fade into the background, especially during a crisis," she said.
"Expressing gratitude is an excellent way of identifying and acknowledging some positive qualities and behaviours in others and then taking the time to express these.
"There is a strong research base supporting the need for people to make their own choices, feel like they are contributing to something important, and to connect meaningfully with others, if they are to maintain psychological wellbeing."
But any act of gratitude or kindness, she said, needed to be "genuinely meaningful and intrinsically motivated".
"It can be very empowering and rewarding to think of doing something nice for others and then being able to carry it through. It can also be cathartic to be able to express yourself in such a kind, thoughtful way."
"Intentionally hunting the good stuff and putting aside the bad stuff", at least for a little while, can help us get through.
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