D awing he COVID-19 pandemic: How do child en inco po a e he heal h c isis
and i s consequences in o hei e e yday hinking?
Nahia Idoiaga Mond agon(1), Naia a Be asa egi Sancho (2), Amaia Eigu en
Muni is(23, & Naia a Ozamiz Eche a ia(4)
(1)Depa men o E olu iona y and Educa ional Psychology, Uni e si y o he
Basque Coun y UPV/EHU, Spain. [email p o ec ed]
(2) Depa men Didac ics and School O ganisa ion, Uni e si y o he Basque
Coun y UPV/EHU, Spain. [email p o ec ed]
(3) Depa men Didac ics and School O ganisa ion, Uni e si y o he Basque
Coun y UPV/EHU, Spain. [email p o ec ed]
(4) Depa men o E olu iona y and Educa ional Psychology, Uni e si y o he
Basque Coun y UPV/EHU, Spain. [email p o ec ed]
Abs ac
Objec i e: The gene al objec i e o his esea ch was o lis en explo e how child en
unde s and and ep esen COVID-19 heal h c isis in hei e e yday hinking.
Design: This esea ch is based on a quali a i e in e p e i e esea ch me hodology ha
uses child en's d awings o collec da a. This echnique allows child en o isualizing
how hey ace his si ua ion h ough a ool ha p omo es exp ession o hei eelings and
ep esen a ions.
Resul s: A o al o 345 d awings we e collec ed, and 949 elemen s ela ed o he di e en
ca ego ies we e coded. The hemes ha ha e a isen we e ela ed o symbols o he
pandemic (n= 307, 32.34%), emo ions (n= 290, 30.55%), ac ions ca ied ou (n = 258,
27.18% ) and socializa ion (n= 94, 9.90%).
Conclusions: Child en ha e a ealis ic ep esen a ion o he COVID-19 i us and i s
consequences, which closely esembles he ep esen a ion shown by he media and
socie y. The child en show a good unde s anding o he new measu es and social ules
Idoiaga Mond agon, N., Eigu en Muni is, A., Be asa egi Sancho, N., & Ozamiz E xeba ia, N. (2022). D awing he COVID-19
pandemic: how do child en inco po a e he heal h c isis and i s consequences in o hei e e yday hinking? Psychology &
Heal h, 39(3), 379–398. This is an Accep ed Manusc ip o an a icle published by Taylo & F ancis in Psychology & Heal h
on 19 Ap 2022, a ailable a : h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/08870446.2022.2066103. I is deposi ed unde he e ms o he C ea i e
Commons A ibu ion-NonComme cial-NoDe i a i es License (h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which
pe mi s non-comme cial e-use, dis ibu ion, and ep oduc ion in any medium, p o ided he o iginal wo k is p ope ly ci ed, and
is no al e ed, ans o med, o buil upon in any way.
associa ed wi h he pandemic. They a e also e y awa e o he need o suppo hei
emo ions by di e en sphe es ( amily, educa ional and social con ex ). Al e na i e play
ac i i ies and a -based educa ion mus be p omo ed, a oiding he abuse o sc eens 1o
ein o ce hei well-being.
KEYWORDS: child en; COVID-19; d awing; pos -lockdown; emo ions; ep esen a ion
In oduc ion
Co ona i us disease (COVID-19) eme ged in Wuhan, China, in ea ly Decembe 2019.
The Wo ld Heal h O ganisa ion (WHO) decla ed COVID-19 a pandemic on Ma ch 11,
2020 (Soh abi e al., 2020), and on Ma ch 13, 2020, WHO p oclaimed Eu ope as he
cen e o he pandemic (Jako lje ic e al., 2020). This pandemic has had wo ldwide
e ec s a mul iple le els including medical, social, psychological, poli ical, economic,
eligious, cul u al, and ci iliza ional sphe es (da Sil a & Ne o, 2021; Deng e al., 2021;
Wu e al., 2021).
On a global scale, i has been c ucial o implemen s ong social dis ancing and
con ainmen measu es o s op he sp ead o he i us (Smi h & Lim, 2020). Each coun y
has aken i s own measu es, and du ing he i s mon hs o he pandemic, Spain was one
o he coun ies in he wo ld wi h he mos igid es ic ions, especially wi h child en.
F om Ma ch 13 o Ap il 26, Spanish child en we e locked in hei homes (Ga cia, 2020).
F om Ap il 26 o May 25, many child en we e allowed o go ou , bu only o one hou
each day and always nea hei homes (Go ia an, 2020). F om May 25 onwa ds, child en
we e allowed o go ou as much as hey wan ed in mos Spanish e i o ies, bu hey we e
equi ed o comply wi h he same mobili y es ic ions as he elde ly. As a as schools
we e conce ned, mos schools ( om nu se ies o uni e si ies) emained closed un il
Sep embe 2020. Only a ew high schools we e opened in June 2020 o p epa e o inal
exams, while a ew nu se ies and summe daily camps also opened in June o July o
allow o wo k-li e balance (To es, 2020).
In July, a he end o he i s wa e o COVID-19 in no he n Spain, his esea ch was
ca ied ou in he Basque Au onomous Communi y. A his ime, he manda o y measu es
o deal wi h he pandemic we e ha anyone wi h symp oms o COVID-19 should sel -
isola e and epo o hei heal h se ice. The widesp ead use o masks was al eady
manda o y ega dless o he in e pe sonal dis ance, including all child en o e six yea s
o age, bo h on public oads and in open spaces and enclosed spaces o public use. The
use o masks was no equi ed a beaches and swimming pools du ing ba hing as long as
he in e pe sonal sa e y dis ance be ween people could be espec ed (Basque Go e nmen
2020).
Pedia icians, psychologis s, and educa o s ha e wa ned o he h ea s ha his pandemic
may pose o child en om a global heal h pe spec i e, whe e physical, emo ional, and
social aspec s should be in eg a ed (Ghosh e al., 2020; Shingh e al., 2020; Walke &
Tolen ino 2020). These p o essionals ha e also emphasized ha i is essen ial o
in es iga e how child en unde s and his pandemic o mi iga e he ha m his may cause
(Dal on, Rapa, & S ein, 2020; Wang e al., 2020a).
Du ing he 1980s and 1990s, a conside able body o esea ch ocused on child en’s
unde s anding o illness (Myan & Williams, 2005). Mos o his esea ch was based on
Piage ’s heo y o de elopmen , essen ially demons a ing ha child en ha e di e en
pe cep ions o he disease depending on hei age and s age o de elopmen (Bibace &
Walsh, 1980; Banks, 1990; Gillis, 1990; He gen a he & Rabinowi z, 1991; Ca son e al.,
1992; Simeonsson e al., 1993; Ku y and Rod ique, 1995; Moss-Mo is & Pa e son,
1995).
Howe e , hese cogni i e s udies, e en in hei mos mode n e sions (Vacik e al., 2001;
Koopman e al., 2004; Myan & Williams, 2005; Piko & Bak, 2006), ha e ailed o
add ess how child en unde s and speci ic diseases om a common-sense s andpoin o
how hey deal wi h illnesses on an emo ional le el.
In he COVID-19 pandemic, esea ch aimed a analyzing how child en unde s and and
cope emo ionally wi h his heal h eme gency has ound ha he child en ha e unde s ood
pe ec ly well ha he COVID-19 i us is a con agious disease, and i is some hing
nega i e ha hey iew as an enemy. In addi ion o unde s anding he concep o he i us,
hey ha e expe ienced emo ions such as ea , wo y, sadness, and ne ousness abou he
i us, while also eeling guil due o ea o in ec ing hei lo ed ones (Idoiaga e al.,
2020). In addi ion o hese emo ions expe ienced due o he i us i sel , he colla e al
e ec s ha he lockdown has had, o example, ha e led hem o eel emo ions (B ooks
e al., 2020; Jiao e al., 2020; Jiloha, 2020), such as bo edom, ange , o e whelm, i edness
and loneliness. Mo eo e , emo ions such as ea and sadness a e ela ed o lockdown and
he pe cep ion o he i us i sel (Idoiaga e al., 2021). Howe e , li le esea ch has ye
been conduc ed o explo e how child en unde s and and in eg a e he COVID-19
pandemic om hei pe spec i e using ac i e me hodologies such as d awing.
D awing is a na u al and pe haps he mos undamen al o m o human exp ession and
can be used o explo e concep s and expe ience, p omo e sel -analysis and dialogue, and
as [NI1] an in es iga i e ool (Lyon 2020, Reiss e al., 2002). Mo eo e , i has been
demons a ed ha h ough d awing, child en can unde s and and exp ess complex
concep s (Hämeen-An ila e al., 2004) and emo ions ha hey canno exp ess h ough
wo ds (B eche e al., 2020). In ac , du ing he cu en pandemic, illus a ions o he
co ona i us ha e been used o child en and adul s o educa ion and ou each p og ams
so ha he en i e popula ion knows wha he i us is (Goodsell e al., 2020).
In he same ein, in ecen yea s, a g owing mo emen d i en by he Uni ed Na ions
Con en ion on he Righ s o he Child (UN, 1989) has p omo ed he impo ance o
lis ening o child en's oices i s -hand ega ding ma e s ha a ec hei li es (Robinson,
2014). Fo yea s, esea ch has ega ded child en as passi e subjec s, ocusing on aspec s
"abou " child en wi hou conside ing hei oices as p o agonis s in he p ocess. Howe e ,
ecen esea ch highligh s he need o esea ch "wi h and o " child en as ac i e subjec s
in he esea ch p ocess (U bina-Ga cia, 2019) o de elop inclusi e esea ch (Be asa egi
e al., 2020).
Gi en hese conside a ions, i is c i ical o iden i y how child en unde s and his heal h
c isis o de elop s a egies and ools ha , by aking in o accoun hei conce ns, will
ul ima ely help hem o o e come hese unp eceden ed ci cums ances. The e o e, he
gene al objec i e o his esea ch was o lis en o he oices o child en du ing he pos -
lockdown pe iod o he COVID-19 pandemic in he summe o 2020 using a child-
sensi i e app oach o da a collec ion o explo e how hey unde s and and ep esen his
heal h c isis.
Design
Sample
A o al o 345 child en pa icipa ed in his s udy. O he sample, 57.13% we e gi ls, and
42.87% we e boys. The mean age o he pa icipan s was 8.65 yea s (SD = 2.05) wi h an
age ange o 6-12 yea s. All he d awings we e collec ed in he ci y o San Sebas ian (a
ci y o 188,240 inhabi an s loca ed in he Basque Coun y o no he n Spain). The
d awings we e collec ed in July du ing he summe camps o ganized by he ci y council.
The aim o he Municipal Se ice ha o ganized ha summe camp was o o e child en
he possibili y o enjoying hei ee ime in Basque. In he summe o 2020, he camps
we e held mainly on school g ounds and ook place om Monday o F iday om 9:30
am o 1:30 pm in July. The g oups consis ed o 8-9 pa icipan s be ween 6 and 12 yea s
old.
P ocedu e
To collec he d awings, each camp moni o asked hem o d aw wha e e hey wan ed
ela ing o he heal h epidemic hey we e expe iencing. Then i was explained o hem
ha his d awing was going o be sen o ano he child in he ci y, allowing o an
exchange o d awings o know how o he child en we e expe iencing he si ua ion. Be o e
sending he d awing o ano he child, he municipal se ices o San Sebas ian and he
Tabakale a o ganiza ion collec ed and scanned all he d awings ha we e la e analyzed
in his esea ch. Th oughou he p ocess, pe missions we e sough om he child en's
gua dians, and his esea ch also has he app o al o he E hics Commi ee o he
UPV/EHU [M10/2020/055].
Da a analysis me hod
This esea ch is based on a quali a i e in e p e i e esea ch me hodology ha uses
child en's d awings o collec da a. Th ough child en's d awings, child en a e gi en a
oice so ha hei hough s a e isible beyond he ision and in e p e a ion o adul s
(Robe son, 2000). Taking child en's d awing as a discu si e ac , child en c ea e
ep esen a ions o he wo ld a ound hem (Docke & Pe y, 2005).
The d awings we e analyzed wi h he N i o 12, QRS In e na ional So wa e, using isual
con en analysis p ocedu es (Rose, 2007). Visual con en analysis o ces he esea che o
del e deepe in o he images, disco e ing elemen s and pa e ns ha o en escape casual
obse a ion (Schne le & Raab, 2012), aking as basic p emises he iden i ica ion o
isual elemen s h ough ca ego ies ha wo esea che s ha e e iewed o ensu e he
consis ency o he ca ego iza ion gene a ed. Likewise, he ocus has been placed on he
equencies o appea ance o he elemen s o hei subsequen analysis (Kal ai is &
Monha d , 2012).
Resul s
A o al o 345 d awings we e collec ed, and 949 elemen s ela ed o he di e en
ca ego ies we e coded. In pa icula , he mos equen ly d awn ca ego ies we e he
COVID-19 pandemic symbols ( n= 307, 32.34%) and emo ions expe ienced du ing he
pandemic (n= 290, 30.55%). Following hese main ca ego ies, he o he main ca ego ies
we e ac ions ca ied ou by child en du ing he pandemic (n = 258, 27.18% ) and he
impac o he pandemic on social ela ions (n= 94, 9.90%).
Pandemic symbols:
Table 1
Elemen s o
he d awin
g
s
g
ouped in o di
e en ca e
g
o ies.
n %
COVID-19 i us ep esen a ions 131 42.26
P o ec ion measu es 94 30.61
The COVID-19 c isis has c ea ed a new collec i e imagina y ega ding he meaning o
he pandemic. This ca ego y has been he mos ep esen ed and desc ibes bo h he i us
i sel and i s consequences (con inemen , dea hs), as well as he measu es o deal wi h i
(see Table 1)
The pa icipa ing child en show a e y g aphic and p ecise ep esen a ion o COVID-19
since 42.28% o he i ems in his ca ego y a e g aphic ep esen a ions o he COVID-19
i us. These ep esen a ions a e p ima ily in line wi h he images dissemina ed in he
media (Figu e 1).
Masks
74 24.10
Gel, soap, hand cleaning
11 3.58
Social dis ance
7 2.28
De-escala ion measu es
2 0.65
Lockdown 28 9.20
Home as p o ec i e space
24 7.81
House + balconies
4 1.30
Heal h- ela ed elemen s 26 8.46
Vaccines
16 5.21
Heal h wo ke s
10 3.25
Hope-Rainbow 16 5.21
Mo ali y 12 3.90
Vi us-dea h
7 2.28
Dea h
5 1.62
TOTAL 307 100.0
Figu e 1: Examples o COVID- 19 g aphic ep esen a ions
This indica es a ecogni ion o he Co id-19 i us a di e en ages, inco po a ing
animism in o he i us and d awing smiley aces in some o he cases, c owns on o he s,
along wi h o bidden signs. The e a e e en some child en who pain he i us nex o
ep esen a ions o eces. I is also signi ican ha se e al child en pain ed he COVID-19
i us a acking a sick wo ld, hus clea ly ep esen ing he globaliza ion o he pandemic
(Figu e 2).
Figu e 2: Example o COVID-19 as a disease a ec ing he wo ld as a whole
Ano he o he ca ego ies mos equen ly ep oduced by he child en (30.61%) was
ela ed o p o ec i e measu es, pa icula ly mask use, social dis ancing, and hand
Impac on social ela ions:
In he las ca ego y, he child en highligh ed ha hey missed bo h hei amilies (8.51%)
and hei iends (26.31%). Likewise, al hough hey emphasized ha he con inemen
helped hem o be wi h hei immedia e amily (pa en s, b o he s, and sis e s) (14.89%),
hey also emphasized ha hey we e deligh ed o mee up wi h hei iends again
(17.89%). In his sense, he summe camps we e a space whe e hey could play wi h hei
iends again (29.79%) (See Table 4) (Figu e 10)
Table 4
Elemen s ca e
g
o ized in he d awin
g
s ela ed o social ela ionships.
n %
Family 22 23.40
Missin
g
amil
y
8 8.51
Bein
g
wi h Famil
y
14 14.89
F iends 44 46.31
Missin
g
iends 25 26.31
Happ
y
wi h iends 17 17.89
Wan in
g
o celeb a e bi hda
y
pa ies 2 2.11
Summe camps 28 29.79
TOTAL 94 100.00
Figu e 10: Examples o ep esen a ions o social ela ions
Discussion
The indings o his esea ch o e impo an clues o iden i ying how child en in eg a e
COVID-19 in o hei e e yday hinking. F om he child en's d awings, he issues ha
ha e a isen can be classi ied in o he ollowing ou main ca ego ies: COVID-19 i sel
and he symbols o he pandemic, he emo ional bu den placed on child en, ac ions hey
ca y ou , and he epe cussions o child en's socializa ion.
Fi s , he main con ibu ion o his wo k is ha i allows us o isualize e y clea ly how
child en ha e in eg a ed he concep o he i us and i s ep esen a ion, as well as i s
symbols and consequences in hei e e yday hinking. I is ema kable how hey d aw he
i us wi h a cha ac e iza ion ha accu a ely mi o s ha epo ed in he media. Such a
ealis ic ep esen a ion o he i us i sel made by child en is a new ea u e o his
pandemic and has no p e iously been de ec ed wi h o he diseases (By ne, 2011,
Ma ine ie e al., 2021).
Howe e , he e a e also no able signs o animism (B uce, 1941), as some i uses ha e
c owns o aces and e en exp ess happy, sad, o igh ening emo ions. I is also e y
no ewo hy ha some imes he i us is d awn bo h wi h he " o bidden" sign and nex o
a pile o eces, indica ing ha i is some hing ha he child en dislike. The child en had
al eady used he exp ession " he i us is shi " in p e ious esea ch (Idoiaga, Be asa egi,
Eigu en & Dosil, 2020), bu his ime hey d aw i li e ally. I is also e y s iking how
hey ep esen he wo ld as h ea ened by he i us. In o he wo ds, he global concep ion
o he c isis has also been in e nalized and exp essed (Cucino a & Vanelli, 2020).
Aside om he i us i sel , he pain ings appea ed o ep esen he ules and no ms
associa ed wi h p e en ing he sp ead o he i us. The la e sugges s ha he child en
ha e assumed he impac o his i us and ep esen i well. Fu he , hey know ha o
p o ec hemsel es and o he s, i is necessa y o adap hei ou ines and apply he di e en
ules ha ha e been imposed, including he use o masks, gels, and social dis ancing
(Wang e al., 2020b). O he s udies also poin ou ha child en — al hough some imes
ega ded as i esponsible o incapable o ollowing he ules — ha e in ac adap ed well
o he new ules, and hey p omo e hem knowing ha his is impo an o p o ec ing he
heal h o he whole popula ion (Be asa egi e al.,2020; Council o Eu ope, 2020).
Ano he signi ican aspec o his symboliza ion was ha hey also c ea ed d awings ha
depic hei house as a p o ec i e space whe e he i us could no en e and whe e hey
el sa e du ing he lockdown. Tha exp ession o he lockdown image whe e he e was
no one in he s ee , and e e yone was a home and wen ou o he balconies o applaud
is also an image ha is o en depic ed. O he s udies conduc ed du ing con inemen ound
ha some child en we e e en a aid o lea e hei homes a e he lockdown pe iod
(Idoiaga e al., 2020; Loades e al., 2020; Sánchez, 2021), and his is some hing ha e en
se e al associa ions o amilies, psychologis s, and educa o s ha e de ec ed (Williams,
2020).
Among he symbols o he pandemic, child en also d ew images o doc o s, heal h
wo ke s, o accines ep esen ed as he he oes who a e going o sol e he si ua ion, along
wi h he image o dea h i sel . Fi s o all, depic ing a heal h epidemic in e ms o he oes
and illains is qui e common, e en o adul s (Wagne -Egge e al., 2011). Mo eo e , in
his pandemic, his pa e n o iden i ying heal h p o essionals as he oes has al eady been
epo ed (Idoiaga, Be asa egi, Eigu en & Picaza, 2020), and he images o accines ha
we e al eady depic ed in July 2020, many mon hs be o e hey became a eali y, a e also
s iking. Ne e heless, a he same ime, child en a e well awa e ha his pandemic has
led o many dea hs; a ha ime, 28.443 people had al eady died om COVID-19 in Spain
(Spanish Go e nmen , 2020).
Finally, hope symbols h ough ainbows ha symbolize he slogan "E e y hing will be
all igh " we e also e y equen ly d awn, c ea ing leisu e na a i es ha a e esponding
di ec ly o his lockdown. This end o d aw ainbows s a ed in I aly — he i s coun y
in Eu ope o go in o lockdown — whe e child en d ew ainbows and pu hem in windows
and on balconies o o he s o see (O e, 2020). This end was epea ed in many o he
coun ies, such as he UK (Na ional Heal h Se ice, 2020), and some au ho s e en poin ed
ou ha he ainbow was inc easingly being po ayed in he media as ha binge s o
“hope” and “posi i i y” ha helped o " aise spi i s o passe s-by” (Mukhe jee, 2020) o
ha his ainbow suppo ed child en's pa icipa ion in adap ing o COVID-19 (La kins,
2020).
Second, he emo ional esponse was he o he heme mos ep esen ed h ough he
pain ings; child en d ew pic u es o hemsel es and how hey had el bo h du ing he
lockdown and in he new pos -lockdown eali y. Ambi alen emo ions appea , such as
sadness, ange , and loneliness, along wi h emo ions such as happiness, hope,
encou agemen , lo e, o sense o ca e. Some o his whi lwind o emo ions had
p e iously been iden i ied in child en du ing he COVID-19 pandemic, such as ea ,
sadness, ange , loneliness, happiness, and e en hope (Im an e al., 2020; Lamb ese, 2020;
La kins, 2020; Mukhe jee, 2020; Yeasmin e al., 2020). Howe e , he emo ions o ca ing
o lo e, which a e ela ed o compliance wi h es ic i e measu es, a e no able o hei
no el y, oge he wi h eeling down o sad. Tha is o say, e en i wea ing he mask o
dis ancing hemsel es om hei lo ed ones makes hem eel "bad" and sad, he child en
decide o do so because o hei lo e and sense o esponsibili y owa d o he s, hus
showing a high le el o empa hy (Miguel e al., 2021).
Ano he no able poin on he emo ional side is ha many child en w i e abou eeling
"bad" wi hou pu ing a name o hose emo ions. I is he e o e essen ial o educa e he
whole popula ion (especially youngs e s) in emo ional exp ession. Educa ing child en in
emo ions will also be c ucial o p omo e hei well-being, pa icula ly in imes o c isis,
when aking ca e o hei emo ions will be pa amoun , ha is, knowing how o ecognize,
lis en, and exp ess hemsel es asse i ely (Cao e al., 2020; Ghosh e al., 2020; Pa ic e
al., 2020).
Thi d, ac ions ca ied ou by child en in he lockdown and hose ha hey we e willing o
pe o m we e ep esen ed h ough he pain ings, along wi h ac i i ies ca ied ou du ing
pos -con inemen pe iods whe e mo e ime is s ill spen a home. Many child en d ew
hemsel es indoo s as "jus being," ha is, wi hou ca ying ou any ac i i y, which
con as s wi h o he s udies showing ha many child en engaged in c ea i e ac i i ies
such as pain ing, dancing, cooking, and playing wi h hei amilies. None heless, hese
s udies also no ed ha younge child en wi h less schoolwo k we e mo e likely o engage
in hese ac i i ies (Be asa egi, Idoiaga, Dosil & Eigu en, 2021; Idoiaga, Eigu en,
Be asa egi, Dosil & Picaza, 2021).
On he o he hand, and simila o o he p e ious s udies, abusi e use o sc eens (wa ching
TV, playing ideo games, using social ne wo ks such as Facebook, Ins ag am, o Tick
Tock) was also ep esen ed in he d awings. Wi hou igno ing he i al con ibu ion ha
new echnology makes o socie y and also o he child en (pa icula ly du ing hese imes),
he excess consump ion o such de ices is wo ying, as no ed by se e al s udies
conduc ed in di e en coun ies (de Mi anda e al., 2020; Im an e al., 2020). O he
s udies ha e also e ealed ha seden a y li es yles ha ha e become ou ine in lockdown
ha e also led o he inc eased ime spen in on o sc eens (Chambonnie e e al., 2021).
Ano he no ewo hy aspec o his sec ion is ha he child en d ew many ou doo and
na u al spaces (moun ains, beaches), e lec ing hei need o connec wi h he ou doo
en i onmen (Be asa egi, Idoiaga, Eigu en, Dosil, Picaza & Ozamiz, 2020; Ma ínez e
al., 2020). I should be bo ne in mind ha child en in Spain spen mo e han six weeks
wi hou lea ing hei homes a any ime, and some e en men ioned ha hey we e
s uggling o b ea he indoo s (Idoiaga, Be asa egi, Dosil & Eigu en, 2020), so hei
pe cei ed need o ou doo space is a ac ha should be aken in o conside a ion
(Ci uen es-Fau a, 2020).
Finally, d awings exp ess he impac ha he pandemic has had on he way hey socialize.
Al hough hey emphasized ha he lockdown helped hem spend mo e ime wi h hei
immedia e amily, hey also exp essed he need o connec wi h o he amilia people,
along wi h he ac ha hey miss iends and classma es. On a social le el, school closu es
and he lack o ou doo ac i i y ha e dis up ed child en's e e yday li es yles (Ghosh e
al., 2020). The la e has had a signi ican impac on he child en's social ela ions, as hey
ha e no been able o ela e o hei pee s, leading o isola ion. Playing wi h pee s is e y
impo an du ing childhood as i c ea es oppo uni ies o he de elopmen o cogni i e
skills h oughou child de elopmen , and social isola ion has led many o hem o lose
his pa o hei li es (Sco & Cogbu n, 2020). The e o e, ac ions such as day camps
p o ided he child en wi h an oasis whe e hey could play wi h hei pee s again.
This esea ch is no wi hou limi a ions. Fi s , he sample is limi ed o a speci ic con ex ,
San Sebas ian (no h o Spain). Ne e heless, a he same ime, i should also be aken
in o accoun ha child en om e y di e en con ex s, a eas, and neighbo hoods could
be eached h ough his municipal day camp p og am. Second, mul i-modal da a
collec ion is o en made possible when child en a e d awing, especially youngs e s. They
alk, sing, na a e and d aw, and all his se es o gi e meaning o he way in which hey
exp ess hemsel es. Mo eo e , one o he s eng hs o he esea ch is ha e y ew s udies
ha e been done ha ocus on child en's pe cep ions, leas o all om d awings, e en
hough due o social dis ancing, esea che s could no be wi h he child en.
In conclusion, his in es iga ion con ibu es o iden i ying how child en unde s and,
cogni i ely ep esen , and emo ionally ace he COVID-19 pandemic. Ou indings show
ha , con a y o popula belie , child en a e no impe ious o he impac o COVID-19.
They a e expe iencing his heal h c isis and i s consequences i s -hand, and hey a e e y
awa e o wha is going on and ha e inco po a ed i in o hei e e yday hinking. Howe e ,
his esea ch also poin s ou ha emo ional educa ion should be p omo ed, abo e all, o
enable he necessa y compe ence o exp ess emo ions. Mo eo e , he excessi e use o
sc eens should also be add essed, and sa e spaces o child en o enjoy he ou doo s,
physical ac i i y, and con ac wi h hei pee s should be p omo ed while espec ing heal h
measu es. The e o e, ac ions such as he day camps whe e his esea ch was ca ied ou
o o he leisu e and ee ime ac i i ies could be key o ensu ing child en's well-being
du ing he pandemic.
Da a a ailabili y s a emen
The da a ha suppo he indings o his s udy a e a ailable on eques om he
co esponding au ho , XXXX. The da a a e no publicly a ailable due o hei con aining
in o ma ion ha could comp omise he p i acy o esea ch pa icipan s.
Disclosu e s a emen
No po en ial con lic o in e es was epo ed by he au ho s.
Funding
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