Children’s reflections on the pandemic
As part of their activities for Children’s Mental Health Week 2022, Year 6 pupils at Lavender Primary School in Enfield, London, have created posters about the impact of the pandemic.
Isolation and missing friends were common themes of the discussions – with one pupil depicting lockdown and feeling sad to be stuck at home in their poster.
This was echoed by another pupil who included loneliness in their poster, as well as tiredness with a figure who doesn’t want to get out of bed. They also include some symptoms of the virus, including pain and lack of taste.
Pupils reflected on the ups and downs of life in the pandemic – with one drawing a racetrack with a start and finish line, and many different emotions in between, as well as weather representing different feelings and moods. The poster headline is “life is twisted”.
Similarly, another pupil drew a comic-strip-style image depicting the different emotions they have felt during the pandemic. The poster shows feelings of when it started, sad and thinking “I want to see my friends”, after a while a neutral face, and after a big smile because they can see their friends.
Some pupils used colours to reflect their feelings in a creative way.
Other pupils shared their coping strategies – one talked about making comics with a friend. They also shared some of the challenges they’d faced including falling out with friends, and the birth of a new cousin during the pandemic.
Learn more about Children's Mental Health Week