Many concerned parents have asked for advice in talking to children about Covid-19. Here are some tips.
Check your own anxiety: Before speaking with your child, try to understand your own feelings about the situation. If you are fearful, your child will pick up on this. Try taking some deep breaths before starting the conversation.
Ask “What have you heard?”: Provide an opportunity for your child to tell you what he/she knows about the virus. Most likely, your child has heard some fact and some myths.
Give only age-appropriate detail: Bombarding your child with facts about Covid-19 may cause confusion. Condense the information into details in a way that your child will understand.
Focus on hand-washing: When we have anxiety or fear about any situation, it may help if we identify some actions we can do to be in control of our situation. In this case, being sure to wash our hands and avoiding touching our faces are two actions within our control that will decrease the chance of us contracting the virus.
Explain “social distancing”: Many schools and business have closed because distancing ourselves from others will reduce the likelihood of everyone getting the virus at the same time.
While Art It Out is not open right now, we are available for video or phone sessions if needed. Contact your therapist for more information.
