How to talk to KIDS about Coronavirus
Your best bet with all situations is open communication and honesty! At the same time you don’t want to alarm your children, impose your anxiety or fears, or confuse them.
Here are 5 steps to keep in mind with talking to your kids about Coronavirus COVID-19.
☝️✨These tips can be used to talk with your kids about any difficult situation!
1. Speak on their level You always want to keep in mind your child’s age and developmental stage. You want to be honest but also explain it in a way they understand. If your child is younger you may use words like “it’s a cold” or “people can get sick.” Whereas, if you child is older you can use the terms they are hearing on the news and around the house, such as “Coronavirus” or “COVID-19”.
2. Discuss the safety measures. Explain to your child what they need to do in order to avoid getting sick. Use all of the precautions you are taking and explain why they are important. For example washing our hands washes away the germs, and if we are too close to other people we could breath or cough germs onto one another. As a reminder, here is a link to the CDC precautions list. CDC Protect yourself from COVID-19
3. State the facts. Let them know the true facts from trusted sources! Just like you are struggling with lots of misinformation, so are they! Kids are sending around funny memes with false information and images of scary situations that are not current or true. For example many people are forwarding images of military vehicles and spreading messages of fear that the military is going to force us to stay in our homes. Many of those videos are not current. As of right now, the military is being used in some areas to build hospitals such as Manhattan at the Jacob Javis Center. Make sure you are armed with trusted information! Here is a list of trusted sites of information:
- CDC Corona Virus Recommended Steps to Prevent Illness
- WHO World Health Organization Link for Coronavirus COVID-19 Outbreak
- NYS State Coronavirus Hotline: 888-364-3065
- Find A Health Center for testing
- Coronavirus updates from CDC
4. Don’t alarm them, talk to them when you are calm! Take deep breaths and make sure you are in a calm state when you talk to your kids. You may feel anxious or overwhelmed with stories and information. Things are changing DAILY sometimes even HOURLY! I know this will cause a lot of fear and concern for you. Make sure you are talking to kids when you feel calm. They are smarter than you think and will pick up on your body language as well as your words. Try to avoid panic terms if you can. ❗️Check out my blog Coronavirus Anxiety! if this is a difficult one for you.
5. Let them speak. Ask them what they already know about Coronavirus and what their friends are saying. Most schools have been closed temporarily and there is a lot of information out there. Whether your child is 5 or 17, they have heard something already! And as always, ask your child if they have questions or are confused about anything. You always want to allow your child to feel like their voice matters. They don’t make the rules but they do deserve to understand them!
Here is a script you can use to start the conversation. Please adjust it to your language and your child’s developmental stage.
There is a virus going around. We have to make some changes in our life to try our best not to catch it. It’s nothing scary or life threatening for most people. But if someone has serious health issues it could affect them worse. We are going to stay home for some time to make sure we don’t spread it. We always want to be clean but right now we are going to take extra measures to stay clean and avoid getting and spreading this virus. If you sneeze or cough cover your mouth with your arm, throw away the tissue and wash your hands. Wash your hands when you get home. What have you heard about Coronavirus or COVID-19? Do you have any questions or is there anything you don’t understand? Remember I love you and I’m always here if you need to talk or have questions about something.
I want to hear from you!
If your have any questions for a therapist who specializes in children and family contact me. Or if you have feedback or are looking for more information let me know!
