Make space for your child to express their feelings
Make space for your child to express their feelings
Don’t be afraid to discuss the virus
It is important that your child knows they have someone who will listen to them and make time for them to discuss their thoughts and feelings about the virus. Tell your child that you will continue to keep them updated as you learn more important information.
Give your child space to share their fears
- Validate what they are feeling. For example, “it's normal to feel nervous/angry/scared/confused/ sad about what is going on”, “Are you feeling confused? Sad?”, “Are you feeling calm?”.
- When your child shares their feelings, show them you understand and accept their feelings, and comfort them. For example, you might say “I know you’re scared. We’re going to keep safe”, “We continue to do what it takes to keep safe, can you think of an example of something we do?”
- Let them know they can always come to you to talk about what scares them or for answers to their questions.
- You can use talking about COVID-19 as a springboard for discussions. This may be a way to help kids learn about their bodies, like how the immune system fights off disease or what their friends think of the situation, etc.