Helping Kids Who Are Worried About Coronavirus.
Last week in groups, I started our time together with the question “What are you afraid of?'“ The students got busy on the dry erase table drawing colorful pictures of spiders, monsters, snakes and red circles with yellow dots. The first time I saw it I was confused, not sure what it was, red circle with yellow dots? We tried guessing; a clown, maybe an alien? No, it was the Coronavirus. This opened up the conversation about what kids are really thinking about COVID-19. Kids are nervous. Nevous they might contract it but also worried they might lose their parents or grandparents. They worry what the next few weeks will bring and they felt bad saying it but wonder how bored they might become being stuck in the house all day. So what can you do to ease that anxiety? Here are some things you can do to help calm those fears.
Don’t Panic - kids are taking their cues from you. If you show that you are scared, your panic becomes their panic.
Be Present - Put down the electronics and ask your kids open ended questions about what they know about the virus. Listen to them and if you don’t know the answer it’s okay for you to let them know that.
Be Positive - Focus on the proactive steps you can take to stay safe. Handwashing, social distancing and sneezing and coughing in your elbow will all help prevent this virus from spreading. Remind them of the experts who are working day and night to to contain the virus.
Limit the News - Even if you don’t think they are listening, kids are listening. Make sure you are not putting added burden on them by having to listen and process what is going on minute by minute in the news.
Provide Stucture and Routine - kids thrive on routine and you will keep their brains busy and also keep your sanity if you have a daily gameplan.
Reach Out - If your child continues to struggle, reach out to a professional. If you are having difficulty finding one, let us know and we may be able to point you in the right direction.
Steph Chambers M.Ed
