How to talk to your kids about coronavirus
By
Staff, AccuWeather
Published Apr 15, 2020 6:38 PM EST
As more people stay home during the COVID-19 pandemic, some are finding creative ways of living their lives as close to normal as possible.
With the words COVID-19 and coronavirus dominating the news cycle and becoming part of our everyday vocabulary, it’s almost certain that little ears have heard them. The reality is our current reality is too much for young minds to process. They probably have a ton of questions you don’t know how to answer. Why am I out of school? Why are mommy and daddy at home all the time? Why can’t I visit grandma & grandpa and my friends? It’s perfectly okay to not know the answers to questions kids are known for peppering their parents with. You should reassure them that you will do everything in your power to protect them from the deadly virus. Parents play a very important role in helping children make sense of what they hear in a way that is honest, accurate, and minimizes any anxiety or fear.
Here is some very useful information from AccuWeather and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how parents can talk to their kids about coronavirus and how they can help minimize the community spread.
The best approach in talking to your kids about coronavirus is asking what they know about it. What have they heard at school or on the news? This fact-finding mission will let you know cut through the clutter and any tall tales the children have come up with themselves. Simply stick to the facts.
Depending upon your child’s age, they may not be able to fully grasp what you mean when saying things like social distancing, shelter in place, quarantine, self-isolation, and community spread. You can simply replace these adult words with phrases like “they have to stay home to keep from getting other people sick.”
Remember that children will react to what you say and how you say it. They can pick up cues from the conversations you have with them and any coronavirus talks you have with others. Children of any age can tell when their parents are stressed or frantic so it’s important to keep up a brave front. The last thing you want is a stressed child to add to any stress you may have.
With the number of people testing positive for and dying from coronavirus every single day, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Find a positive spin for your child and focus on the number of people who have recovered from the virus. The AccuWeather COVID-19 Tracker gives you instant statistics on how many have recovered from coronavirus.
If you’re working from home, the only major thing on your daily calendar should be making time to talk to your children. Do a daily check-in to see what they’re thinking about adapting to this new normal. Be sure to let your kids know they can come to you when they have any questions.
Julia M Cameron
Julia M Cameron
One key thing to take into consideration is the amount of screen time your kids are getting. Due to self-isolation and quarantines, it’s skyrocketing. The more unmonitored screen time the kids are getting, the more likely they can be exposed to coronavirus information. Too much information on one topic can lead to anxiety.
Give children information that is truthful and appropriate for the age and development level of the child. Ease their fears by pointing out that some coronavirus stories on social media and the Internet may be based on rumors and inaccurate information.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio
Andrea Piacquadio
Now that you’ve started the important dialogue of talking to your kids about coronavirus, it’s important to now focus on what they can do to stop the spread of germs in their everyday lives.
The CDC offers these great tips:
-
Remind children to stay away from people who are coughing or sneezing or sick.
-
Remind them to cough or sneeze into a tissue or their elbow, then throw the tissue into the trash.
-
Discuss any new actions that may be taken at school to help protect children and school staff.
(e.g., increased handwashing, cancellation of events or activities)
-
Get children into a handwashing habit.
-
Teach them to wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after blowing their nose, coughing, or sneezing; going to the bathroom; and before eating or preparing food.
-
If soap and water are not available, teach them to use hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizer should contain at least 60% alcohol. Supervise young children when they use hand sanitizer to prevent swallowing alcohol, especially in schools and child care facilities.
Photo by Kin Cheung
Kin Cheung
Talking to your kids about heavy topics like COVID-19 and coronavirus may be difficult but necessary to keep their young minds at ease. One of the most important things you can do is keep track of the latest developments and any changes in official government guidance, like when to wear masks. AccuWeather is making it easy for you to stay on top of the latest news as it happens. AccuWeather has launched a new podcast focusing solely on coronavirus statistics and response. Give it a listen for information on how to talk to your kids about coronavirus. Listen to the Everything Under the Sun podcast here.
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News / Health
How to talk to your kids about coronavirus
By Staff, AccuWeather
Published Apr 15, 2020 6:38 PM EST
As more people stay home during the COVID-19 pandemic, some are finding creative ways of living their lives as close to normal as possible.
With the words COVID-19 and coronavirus dominating the news cycle and becoming part of our everyday vocabulary, it’s almost certain that little ears have heard them. The reality is our current reality is too much for young minds to process. They probably have a ton of questions you don’t know how to answer. Why am I out of school? Why are mommy and daddy at home all the time? Why can’t I visit grandma & grandpa and my friends? It’s perfectly okay to not know the answers to questions kids are known for peppering their parents with. You should reassure them that you will do everything in your power to protect them from the deadly virus. Parents play a very important role in helping children make sense of what they hear in a way that is honest, accurate, and minimizes any anxiety or fear.
Here is some very useful information from AccuWeather and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how parents can talk to their kids about coronavirus and how they can help minimize the community spread.
What do they know about coronavirus?
The best approach in talking to your kids about coronavirus is asking what they know about it. What have they heard at school or on the news? This fact-finding mission will let you know cut through the clutter and any tall tales the children have come up with themselves. Simply stick to the facts.
Photo by CDC
Keep it simple
Depending upon your child’s age, they may not be able to fully grasp what you mean when saying things like social distancing, shelter in place, quarantine, self-isolation, and community spread. You can simply replace these adult words with phrases like “they have to stay home to keep from getting other people sick.”
Remain calm and reassuring
Remember that children will react to what you say and how you say it. They can pick up cues from the conversations you have with them and any coronavirus talks you have with others. Children of any age can tell when their parents are stressed or frantic so it’s important to keep up a brave front. The last thing you want is a stressed child to add to any stress you may have.
Photo by CDC
Focus on the positive
With the number of people testing positive for and dying from coronavirus every single day, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Find a positive spin for your child and focus on the number of people who have recovered from the virus. The AccuWeather COVID-19 Tracker gives you instant statistics on how many have recovered from coronavirus.
Be available to listen and to talk
If you’re working from home, the only major thing on your daily calendar should be making time to talk to your children. Do a daily check-in to see what they’re thinking about adapting to this new normal. Be sure to let your kids know they can come to you when they have any questions.
Julia M Cameron
Pay attention to what children see or hear on television, radio, or online
One key thing to take into consideration is the amount of screen time your kids are getting. Due to self-isolation and quarantines, it’s skyrocketing. The more unmonitored screen time the kids are getting, the more likely they can be exposed to coronavirus information. Too much information on one topic can lead to anxiety.
Provide information that is honest and accurate
Give children information that is truthful and appropriate for the age and development level of the child. Ease their fears by pointing out that some coronavirus stories on social media and the Internet may be based on rumors and inaccurate information.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio
Stopping the spread
Now that you’ve started the important dialogue of talking to your kids about coronavirus, it’s important to now focus on what they can do to stop the spread of germs in their everyday lives.
The CDC offers these great tips:
Remind children to stay away from people who are coughing or sneezing or sick.
Remind them to cough or sneeze into a tissue or their elbow, then throw the tissue into the trash.
Discuss any new actions that may be taken at school to help protect children and school staff.
(e.g., increased handwashing, cancellation of events or activities)
Get children into a handwashing habit.
Teach them to wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after blowing their nose, coughing, or sneezing; going to the bathroom; and before eating or preparing food.
If soap and water are not available, teach them to use hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizer should contain at least 60% alcohol. Supervise young children when they use hand sanitizer to prevent swallowing alcohol, especially in schools and child care facilities.
Photo by Kin Cheung
Talking to your kids about heavy topics like COVID-19 and coronavirus may be difficult but necessary to keep their young minds at ease. One of the most important things you can do is keep track of the latest developments and any changes in official government guidance, like when to wear masks. AccuWeather is making it easy for you to stay on top of the latest news as it happens. AccuWeather has launched a new podcast focusing solely on coronavirus statistics and response. Give it a listen for information on how to talk to your kids about coronavirus. Listen to the Everything Under the Sun podcast here.
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