It's time to revisit telling of Kwaku Ananse stories to children - Psychologist

With the outbreak of the deadly Coronavirus in parts of the world, parents and children are facing major life disruptions.

School closures, physical distancing; it’s a lot to take in and that is difficult for everyone in the family.

This is why the Ghana Psychology Council has advised parents to adopt ways to engage their children since they can easily get depressed because of what is going on.

One of such ways is by revisiting what Ghana used to have, the telling of Kwaku Ananse stories.

"It gives us opportunities to bond with our children. Let's train them, let's engage them to do some of the house chores. We can play indoor games with them. It's an opportunity for us to tell them Ananse stories which we have lost. Education is not about the teacher standing in front of you... let's have time with them," Dr. Collins Badu Agyeman, Vice President of the Ghana Psychological Association has urged.

Speaking at today's Ministry of Information press briefing, he reiterated that this period of the 2 weeks partial lockdown is an opportunity to bond with the children.

Mr. Badu Agyemang further advised parents to adopt a healthy hobby such as exercise, since it is informing working parents how retirement will be in the future.

"As parents, we want to make time to exercise, if you don't have a hobby, this is an opportunity for us to look for one. This two weeks partial lockdown is telling us how retirement will be like. We must find things to stay active."

This is indeed an unprecedented time for all of us, especially for children who face an enormous disruption to their lives, he added.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as part of containing the spread of the deadly Coronavirus has enforced a partial lockdown in some parts of the country.