You’re Kidding Me Workshops to Help Families Post COVID-19

Detecting speech impairments early and managing post-pandemic separation are just some of the free parenting workshops planned in Lake Macquarie this month.

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Lake Macquarie City Council Community Planner Children and Families Jessica Salvador said 10 workshops will go ahead as part of the You’re Kidding Me program from September 2022.

“This year’s focus is to help parents whose kids, aged five-years-old and under, might be dealing with challenges brought on by the pandemic,” Ms Salvador said.

“In some cases, isolation and lockdowns may have completely ruined any sense of a stable routine for families, as well as made children more susceptible to separation anxiety and speech impairments do to a lack of socialisation outside of the house.

“Parents will walk away with hands-on strategies they can use in their home to support their child’s growth and development.”

The first workshop, set for Tuesday 6 September, aims to inspire parents to foster and build their child’s speech and language skills at home.

Early Start Speech Pathology Senior Speech Pathologist Hannah Parker said an additional two free speech screening assessments will also take place during workshops on Wednesday 21 September and Friday 14 October.

“Because everyone has been isolating or been at home a lot more, kids aren’t having much socialisation with kids their own age so we’re seeing more difficulties with kids interacting with peers,” Ms Parker said.

“We’ll run free 15-minute speech screenings for children aged between 3-5 years old to see if they’re on track with their speech or if they could benefit from additional support.”

BEAM Health will facilitate a workshop on teaching your child to be brave on Tuesday 13 September.

“We know that COVID-19 may have triggered social anxiety in kids, making activities like day-care and school a challenge,” Ms Salvador said.

“This workshop will give parents an understanding of their child’s anxiety and give strategies on how to support their child’s feelings while encouraging them to face their fears in a safe and supportive way.”

A workshop, which focuses on understanding where big emotions come from in children and how to best support them, will be run by Peaceful, Playful and Present on Monday 19 September.

While workshops are free, bookings are essential. To see the full list of workshops, visit lakemac.com.au.