Your children are hearing a lot of information about Coronavirus (COVID-19). It is important as parents to ensure they are getting reliable information and that they are hearing this from you.
A first step in talking to you child about this is to find out what they already know. This will be a way to open the conversation and ask questions that are age appropriate. For older kids you may
ask “Are people in your school talking about coronavirus? What are they
saying?” For younger children you may say “Have you heard grownups talking
about a new sickness that is going around?” This will give you an understanding
of how much they know and if they are hearing the wrong information. Don’t push
too much if they aren’t interested in talking. Follow their lead, it’s okay if they aren’t interested in the moment.
Offer comfort and honesty to your children. Focus on helping your child to feel safe but be truthful if
they ask you questions. You do not need to offer more information than your child asks for. For example – if your child doesn’t ask about school closures there is no need to offer this information to them. If you’re not sure of the answer be honest and say so and use it as an opportunity to find out together. Be mindful of speaking calmly and reassuringly when you are talking to your
children about this. Let your child explore their fears. It’s natural for children to worry. Let your child know that kids don’t seem to be getting as sick as adults and that they can always talk to you about how they are feeling.
Help your children feel in control. Teach your children about getting lots of sleep and washing their hands well. This can help them stay strong and healthy. Explain to your child that regular hand washing helps stop the spread of the virus to others and be a good role model by doing the same!
Talk to your children about what is in place to keep people safe and healthy. Young children may want to know that hospitals and doctors are prepared to treat this and older children may want to know that scientists are working on a vaccine. Put news stories into context – if they ask about, explain that the death rate is rare despite what we may be hearing. Let your children talk to friends
or family online. This helps ease their mind as they may be worried about their loved ones.
Lastly, keep the conversation going. Continue to check in with your child. This is a time that children can learn how their bodies work by teaching them about how the immune system fights of
diseases. Talk about current events often so that when they have questions there is open communication to do so.
For our younger children, here is a story that
you can read together about the Coronavirus (COVID-19): https://www.flipsnack.com/KeshetChicago/coronavirus-social-story/full-view.html
Sources:
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/coronavirus-how-talk-child.html#catthought