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COVID-19 HowtoTalktoYourKidsAboutCoronavirus

QuickCheck!

Coronaviruses“arealargefamilyofviruses.Somecauseillnessinpeopleandotherscauseillnessinanimals.Humancoronavirusesarecommonandareassociatedwithmildsymptoms,similartothecommoncold”5---------------------------------

Symptoms• Cough• Fever• Difficulty

Breathing

If you or your child is showing coronavirus

symptoms, please contact your primary

care provider or Telehealth Ontario at

1-866-797-0000

Dear Parents,

We know that this is probably a stressful time for you and your families. Many of your children are at home and probably are asking some challenging questions about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic. Your children may have already heard something about COVID-19 – and you want to give them the right information.

Please take a read through this resource guide as a way to help talk to your children about COVID-19.

All the best,

On behalf of the staff and Practicum Students from the Mary J. Wright Research and Education Centre at Merrymount.

CELEBRE, A., KUBISHYN, N., & SHA, K..S upervisor Dr. Karen Bax, C., Psych., April, 2020

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Do Don’t

BeproactiveandeducateyourchildaboutCOVID-19:Providefactual,up-to-dateinformationaboutthecurrentstatusofCOVID-19inOntariooryourregion.EducateyourchildrenabouttheCOVID-19healthguidelines.

Don’tavoidtalkingto,orhopingthatyourchilddoesn’thearaboutCOVID-19:NottalkingtoyourchildaboutCOVID-19mayleadtoconfusionoranxietyandworry.

Assessyourchild’sknowledgeandunderstanding:Determinetheircurrentlevelofunderstandingaboutthevirusbyaskingopen-endedquestions(e.g.,Tellmewhatyou’veheardaboutthecoronavirussofar?).

Don’tassumethatyourchildisuptodateandknowsalltheaccurateinformation:Notcheckinginandassessingyourchild’sknowledgeaboutthevirusmayleadhimorhertoformfalseinterpretationsaboutCOVID-19.

Provideanswerstoquestionsthatareasked:Onlyanswerquestionsthatareaskedbyyourchild.Letyourchild’squestionsbeaguideastohowmuchinformationyoushouldprovide.Ifyoudon’tknowananswertoaquestion,thensayso!

Don’tprovidemoreinformationthanwhatisbeingasked:Providingadditionalorunnecessarydetailsmayevokeconfusionorworryinachild,especiallytheyoungerones.

Exploreandaddressyourchild’sfearsandconcerns:Investigatewhatspecificfearsandworriesyourchildhasandtrytoaddressthoseworriesandconcerns.

Avoidvoicingyourownfearsandanxietiesinfrontofachild:Childrencaneasilypickupontheirparents’cuesandworries,sotrytoprocessyourownanxietiesfirstbeforetalkingtoyourchild.

Communicateandprovideexplanationsthataredevelopmentallyappropriate:Ifyouhavechildrenfromdifferentagegroups(e.g.,a6-year-oldanda14-year-old),ensurethatyourquestionsandanswersaretailoredtoeachchild’sdevelopmentallevelandlanguageabilities.

Avoidcommunicatingtoallchildreninthesameway:Ifyouhavechildrenfromdifferentagegroups,avoidusingonestandardlanguageorcommunicationstyle;thismayleadtoconfusionoruncertaintyamongyoungchildrenorthosewithlanguagedelays.

Providereassurance,safety,andcomfort:Useacalmandreassuringtoneofvoice.Ensurethatyourchildfeelssafeandloved.Iftrue,emphasizetoyourchildthathis/herfamilyaresafeandhealthy.

Don’tactinanalarmedandanxiousmannerinfrontofachild:BeingalarmedorpanickedwhentalkingtochildrenabouttheCOVID-19mayevokeanxietyandfearamongsomechildren.

Haveongoingconversations:Regularlycheckinwithyourchildtoseeifhe/shehasanynewquestionsorconcerns.Havingregularcheck-inswillalsoensurethatthechildfeelsreassuredanduptodateonalltherelevantdetails.

Don’thavejustoneconversation:Notgivingchildrenmultipleopportunitiestoaskquestionsandreceiveanswersmayleadtodoubtorconfusion.

TheDo’sandDon’tsofTalkingtoKidsaboutCOVID-193,4,8

CELEBRE,A.,KUBISHYN,N.,&SHA,K.

APRIL2020

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1.WhatisCOVID-19?• COVID-19isshortfor“coronavirusdisease

2019”• It’sanewvirus,whichmeansthatdoctors

andscientistsarestilllearningaboutit,likehowitworksorgetspassedalongfromonepersontothenext

• Alotofpeoplehaverecentlygottensickbecauseofthevirus,butdoctorsthinkthatmostpeoplewhogettheviruswillbeOK-especiallykids

• What’simportanttoknowisthatdoctorsandresearchersfromallaroundtheworldareworkingreallyhardandtryingtheirbesttokeepeveryonesafeandhealthy

2.Whatisapandemic?• Apandemicisaglobaldiseaseoutbreak• Thismeansthatthediseasecanspread

fromonepersontothenextquiteeasily,makepeoplefeelsick,andtravelfromonepartoftheworldtothenextquickly

3.WhydoIhavetowashmyhandssomuch?• Inourfamily,it’simportanttowashour

handsbecauseweare“germ-busters”• Sometimes,germsgetonourhandsandif

wedon’tdoanythingtogetridofthem,thentheycanmakeussick

• So,wewashourhandstoblastawaythegerms!

4.Whathappensifyougetsick?OrIgetsick?• Forlotsofpeople,COVID-19lookslike

gettingtheflu.So,youmighthaveafever,cough,orahardtimetakingdeepbreaths

• Foronlyareallysmallgroupofpeople,COVID-19mightleadtomoreseriousproblems

• Sofar,doctorssaythatchildrendon’tseemtogetverysick;andformostadultswhogetsick,theygetbetter

• Ifwedofeelunwell,itdoesn’tnecessarilymeanwehaveCOVID-19becausewecangetsickfromalldifferentkindsofgerms

• But,it’simportanttoknowthatifwedogetsickfromCOVID-19,we’regoingtodoeverythingpossibletomakesurewegetbetteragain

5.WhencanIgobacktoschool?• Wearekeepinginclosecontactwithyour

schoolandarealwaysstayinguptodateonwhenyoumightbeabletostartupagain

• But,bothyourschoolandallofusparentswanttomakesurethatwhenyougoback,everybodycanstayhealthy

FrequentlyAskedQuestionsbyKids1,2,6ProvidingAnswersaboutCOVID-19

CELEBRE,A.,KUBISHYN,N.,&SHA,K.

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YoungChildren

OlderChildren Adolescents

• Usesimplelanguagethatiseasytounderstand

• Sharesmallpiecesofinformation

• TalkaboutCOVID-19andalsogivecomfortingremindersthatadultscanhelpthemstayhealthyandsafe

• Bepreparedtoanswertheirquestions,forexample,regardingtheirsafetyorwhattodoifCOVID-19happensintheareatheylivein

• Youmayneedtohelpthemtellapartfactandfiction

• YoucantalkaboutCOVID-19totheminmoredetail

• Giveup-to-dateCOVID-19informationthatincludesaccuratefacts

• SharereliablesourcesofinformationregardingCOVID-19withthem

HowtoExplainWhatSocialDistancingistoChildrenandAdolescents9,11

Tellchildrenandadolescentsthatsocialdistancingmeanswehavetoavoidclosecontactwithotherpeople.Peoplehavetokeepasafephysicaldistance(6ft.)witheachother,andtodothis,wehavetomakesmallchangestoourusualroutine.ExplainthatphysicaldistancingisimportanttohelpstopthespreadingofgermsthatmakepeoplefallsickwithCOVID-19.WhatChildrencandoduringSocialDistancing

• KeepintouchwithfamilyorfriendsusingthetelephoneortechnologicalapplicationslikeSkype,Facetime,andWhatsapp

• Haveagoatnewhobbiesorinterests• Playboardgames• Walkorgobike-ridingoutside

WhatAdolescentscandoduringSocialDistancing

• Connectwithfriendsusingvideocommunication• Jog,rollerblade,orgobike-ridingoutside• Enjoyabookormagazine;engageinanewlearningactivity• Assistwithhouseholdtasks;organizeand/ordesigntheirroom

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TalkingtoKidsfromDifferentAgeGroups7KeepExplanationsAge-Appropriate

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WaystoProtectYourselfandKidsAgainstCOVID-1910

REFERENCES1CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention.(2020,April1).Talkingwithchildrenaboutcoronavirusdisease2019.Retrievedfromhttps://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/talking-with-children.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/talking-with-children.html&fbclid=IwAR0jStlRVkZF9K4kiwZ8EvrGWIES31zCvkF1m0-O7HKr7blXsL6yfSY2qgk

2Children'sNationalHealthSystem.(n.d.).Talkingwithchildrenaboutaflupandemic.Retrievedfromhttps://childrensnational.org/-/media/cnhs-site/files/resources/ichoc/pandemicflufactsheet.pdf?la=en&hash=97428C1801E257F44647B51704AC16B035057E0C

3Daniels,N.(2020).Whatisthecoronavirus(howtoexplainthecoronavirustokids)?ATParentingSurvival.Retrievedfrom:https://www.anxioustoddlers.com/how-to-explain-the-coronavirus-to-kids/#.XoYW2i0ZP_Q

4Ehmke,R.(2020).Talkingtokidsaboutthecoronavirus.ChildMindInstitute.Retrievedfrom:https://childmind.org/article/talking-to-kids-about-the-coronavirus/

5GovernmentofCanada.(2020).Coronavirusdisease(COVID-19):Symptomsandtreatment.Ottawa:Author.Retrievedfrom:https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/symptoms.html?topic=ex-col-faq#a

6Kris,D.F.(2020,April7).Howtotalktoyourkidsaboutcoronavirus.Retrievedfromhttps://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/how-to-talk-to-your-kids-aboutcoronavirus?fbclid=IwAR034IuIiieWWYLrkkpYTZLiqzmvs87SDmxPi51iykrDRwrtup3VFcrEwxk

7NationalAssociationofSchoolPsychologists.(2020).HelpingchildrencopewithchangesresultingfromCOVID-19.RetrievedMarch31,2020,fromhttps://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/school-climate-safety-and-crisis/health-crisis-resources/helping-children-cope-with-changes-resulting-from-covid-19?ck_subscriber_id=342989428

8NationalAssociationofSchoolPsychologists.(2020).TalkingtochildrenaboutCOVID-19(coronavirus):Aparentresource.Retrievedfrom:https://uwoca-my.sharepoint.com/personal/wsha3_uwo_ca/_layouts/15/onedrive.aspx?id=%2Fpersonal%2Fwsha3%5Fuwo%5Fca%2FDocuments%2FMJW%20Practicum%20%2D%20COVID%2019%20Plain%20Language%20Brochure%2FNASP%5FCOVID%20Parent%20Handout%2Epdf&parent=%2Fpersonal%2Fwsha3%5Fuwo%5Fca%2FDocuments%2FMJW%20Practicum%20%2D%20COVID%2019%20Plain%20Language%20Brochure

9OttawaPublicHealth.(2020).Physicaldistancingforparents,teensandchildren.RetrievedMarch31,2020,fromhttps://www.ottawapublichealth.ca/en/public-health-topics/social-distancing-for-parents-teens-and-children.aspx#What-does-physical-distancing-look-like-for-teens

10PublicHealthAgencyofCanada.(2020).Coronavirusdisease(COVID-19):Preventionandrisks.RetrievedMarch31,2020,fromhttps://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/prevention-risks.html#p

11PublicHealthAgencyofCanada.(2020,April6).Physicaldistancing(factsheet).RetrievedApril9,2020,fromhttps://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-conditions/social-distancing.html

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