Helping 2020 university students during the COVID-19 pandemic

One of the most pivotal events in recent months regarding the COVID-19 pandemic has been seeing students go off to universities. With rumours that university students may not be able to return home for Christmas, and many campuses going into lockdown due to virus rates, it’s arguably never been a harder time to be a student.

Especially for those who are in their first year of university, this can be a particularly scary and tumultuous time, and the distance between normality and family can make it harder.

With children at home, there are many things we can do to support them, from hiring household staff to take the load off of the housework (allowing more time for relaxing) to investing in a tutor for one-on-one tuition.

But how can we support children who are at university in this crisis?

Send deliveries and meals

A small and simple way to help support those at university currently is through deliveries and sending meals. Whether it’s a package from home that features support items or just their favourite meal on a Friday night, these small things can turn a bad day into a good day and can show that you are thinking about them. Discover some ideas for great deliveries:

Their favourite meals – Using a food delivery app, you can send your child a meal from a takeaway local to them. It’s a small thing but can offer a welcome surprise. Even better, if you are having takeaway at home one night, ordering a similar one for them and then video calling them so you can eat together is a lovely touch.

A care package from home – Whether it’s a portion of homemade biscuits, a blanket they cherish and left behind or some basic supplies to keep them going, creating a care package from home and sending that through the post can offer a wonderful boost to anyone’s mood.

A food shop – With online shopping, people can now get their weekly shop delivered to their door. If your child isn’t able to leave their accommodation due to self-isolating, organising a shop to their door can give them some much-needed supplies and allow them to focus on studying rather than trying to organise a delivery themselves.

Set up a communication routine

Especially for those that have found their campuses and accommodation in lockdown, having a frequent point of communication can be a real aide. Whether you agree to call every evening, video call once a week or just remember to send a text every so often to tell them you are thinking of them, working out a communication routine can not only give them something to look forward to but can offer parents a time to put their minds at ease and find out how their child is doing.

Monitor the situation

As the global situation progresses, we are seeing a lot of local lockdowns in the UK and many of those in the past weeks have been surrounding cities or university towns. This has caused many to ask the question, ‘will my child be able to come home from university for Christmas?’.

Make sure you are monitoring the situation not only where you are, but where your child is at university also. This might mean finding a local news site online that you can check in with every day in order to understand the situation there as well as your own. It can also mean listening to government announcements and briefings.

No one wants to imagine their child might not be able to be with them during the holidays, however, being prepared for that situation as early as possible can be wise.

This year has been hard for everybody and currently, it seems that university students are struggling immensely. Ensuring that you keep a strong support system for your children whether at home or not is essential to both their and your wellbeing.

One way to do this is to look at organising some help around the house to free up your time, giving you more time to spend on the things that really matter.

For more news, tips, and advice, make sure to visit our news page.