Talking With Children About Covid-19

Throughout the past few months the U.S has been through some truly turbulent times. For many parents with younger children they have struggled with keeping their children informed and more importantly safe from Covid-19. Now that the country is beginning  to open back up, parents are looking for ways to reassure their children that it’s okay for certain things to go back to normal, but still stress the importance of following the proper precautions to reduce the risk of contracting Covid-19. Below we have summarized some important tips for parents when talking to children about Covid-19 outlined by the CDC. You can click the link here to read the entire article.

Tips for Talking to Children:

• Remain Calm: Remember that children will react to both what you say and how you say it. Children will pick up on cues from the conversations you have with them and more importantly the conversations you have with family and friends when they’re around.

• Provide Reassurance: Let your kids know that they are safe. Let them know that it’s okay to be worried about going back to their normal routine, and share how you deal with stress so they can learn how to deal with situations from you.

• Pay Attention to What Children See or Hear: Monitor what forms of media your children are viewing or listening too. Based on the age and developmental level of your kids it’s important to also talk to them about false information on the news or social media platforms. Children may misinterpret what they hear and become increasingly frightened about something they don’t understand.

• Reinforce Smart Everyday Habits: You more than likely have already spoken with your children on what steps they should be taking to reduce the risk of contracting Covid-19 throughout the pandemic. Even though you have explained that it’s okay to go back to certain everyday activities you need to stress the importance of continued hand washing, utilization of masks and face coverings and social distancing. 

Only you truly know your children and how they have coped throughout the pandemic. As the U.S begins to open back up it’s important to understand the comfort level of you and your kids, and react accordingly. The one thing that is for certain is that an open line of communication between you and your kids is very important. As always, SeparationScreen is continuing to offer a variety of infection control supplies to keep you and your kids safe including masks and cloth face coverings, hand sanitizer, Wex-Cide germicidal disinfectant and a variety of cough shields and sneeze guards.