How Can I Explain COVID-19 to My Child?
In terms of the current situation, a lot of parents and guardians are wondering how best to communicate the current COVID-19 crisis.
Something that a lot of parents are dealing with constantly is the task of conveying updates and information about COVID-19 to children. Varying different groups have put together helpful resources about how to explain COVID, and so we’ve compiled them here for you!
Here are some helpful tips regarding how best to convey information about COVID-19 to children:
- Understand the Knowledgebase You’re Working With
What does your child already know in regards to COVID-19? Understand what they may have heard from the media, from other adults, and from those around them. This gives you a good understanding of where your child is at. If your child is talkative and wants to learn more about the topic, this is a good chance for you to outline disease and health. Make sure to keep your eyes out for incorrect information that your child may have heard – the media or other kids may have confused them and that’s something you want to address as soon as you can.
- Provide Comfort and Honesty
With the goal to help your child, truth is necessary for making sure that they aren’t hurt. There’s no need to overshare details or figures, but do your best to address questions and keep their imaginations from running wild over the state of the world. If you don’t know the answer to the questions they’re asking, seek out help, find trustworthy sources (such as the Centre of Disease Control and Prevention Website) and aid them in answering their curiosities.
- Help Kids Develop Agency
Understand that there are universal basics of health that can help someone stay healthy, whether this is a proper diet, good sleeping habits, and good hygiene practices – let your child know that there are actions they can take (with your help) to overcome the illness. Make sure that you’re modelling this behaviour as well through your wellness. Children and teens have fear for themselves but also those they depend on, reassure them that you are healthy, and potentially encourage them to touch base with grandparents through an organized phone call!
- Check-In Regularly!
Talk about the current events as often as your child would like. Make sure that you take time to debrief stories you review and help them understand what they’re engaging with. Monitoring their media exposure and ensuring that you clarify what they review is essential to ensuring that they are able to cope with what is going on in the world around them.
Those are the major strategies that have been recommended, and we hope you find them helpful!
The TTK Team.
Check out the full recommendations from KidsHealth, as reviewed by Dr. Jennifer Shroff Pendley here:
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/coronavirus-how-talk-child.htm