Proposed Workshop to Investigate the Psychosocial Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic, on Children playing with Painting and Clay modeling

Abstract

Children’s play welfare is already disrupted due to COVD 19 controlling measures put in place by the government of Kenya. Child’s development experts asserted that if a child is inhibited to playing, there are bound to be psychosocial consequences for early childhood development. Various reports on Ngwacho (2020), Nandkar (2020), EdTech Hub Survey (2020), Schleicher (2020), United Nation COVID-19 Report (2020), and UNICEF Report (2020) has documented the dynamics and effects COVID-19 pandemic. Educationists and therapists posit that play with painting and clay goes beyond recreation to include the expression of desires, traumas, and elaboration of their conflicts and emotional healing. The aim of proposed workshop is to re-direct children to playing with painting and clay modeling as way of relieving effect of COVID-19 pandemic. It also intended to re-establish the role of play with painting and clay as a mitigating measure on children psychosocial effected by COVID-19 as school reopens. The researcher will employ a qualitative research approach complimented by quantitative method as seemed appropriate. A case study, population and a sample will be drawn from pre-schools as defined by Competency Based Curriculum CBC (2017) at Embakasi East sub-counties of Nairobi. The workshop will employ probability stratified random sampling on children aged 3-7 year. The evaluation and analysis of data will focus on the psychosocial effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on children playing with painting and clay modeling. The data will be collected using photography, video camera and checklist as guided by the relevant professional expertise. The researcher together with other assistants will participant in the play session. The workshop will consider COVID 19 health protocols and children’s right principles during workshop participation. The result of the workshop will hopeful inform the stakeholder in understanding of unresolved psychosocial effects of the COVID 19 pandemic as well positively influence future professional interventions.