How to talk to kids about COVID-19

Making sense of COVID-19 can be overwhelming and stressful, not only for adults but also for children. Avoiding the difficult conversation about COVID-19 can lead to unnecessary fear and it’s important for an adult to help children process the information they are seeing or hearing.

Here are a few tips for talking to children about COVID-19:

1. Stay calm, be aware of your own feelings and continue self-care.

   If you are feeling anxious, take some time to calm down before talking to your children. Children may pick up on your anxiety through what you say and do. To help you stay calm, maintaining self-care practices — like exercise, calling a friend or getting enough rest — is essential and will help you be prepared to care for your children.

2. Listen and provide reassurance.

   Give your child the time and space to share their feelings. Listening will let children know they can come to you with any questions. Then, validate their feelings and reassure them they are safe. Let your child know there are grown-ups working hard to deal with COVID-19.

3. Help them understand with appropriate language.

   During your conversation, use age-appropriate information that your child can understand. For example, the way you talk to a preschooler versus a teenager will be very different. You should also avoid language that might blame others or lead to stigma around COVID-19.

4. Find out what your child already knows and follow their lead.

Ask if your child has heard about COVID-19 and establish what they know. For a young child, you may ask, “Have you heard anything about people getting sick?” For a teenager, you may ask more directly, “Have you heard anything about COVID-19 or coronavirus?” It is important to listen for misconceptions that your child may have about COVID-19 and provide clarification. Try your best to answer your child honestly and if you do not know something, it is okay to admit it while assuring them you will try your best to find out.

Here are a few actions to take to help your child better cope with changes due to COVID-19:

1. Try to maintain a normal routine.

   School closings and disruption to parents’ work scheduled can significantly impact everyone’s normal routine. Try to maintain your normal routine as much as possible to reduce stress. Structure your days with regular mealtimes and bedtimes. Encourage your child to keep up with their schoolwork as much as possible and maintain contact with their friends by phone or video to avoid social isolation.

2. Monitor television watching and social media use.

   Trying to find a balance between screen time and non-screen time activities can be difficult as parents are under increased stress and children suddenly do not have school, leaving them with a significant amount of free time. Watching television constantly and frequently being on social media can actually increase anxiety, so everyone should limit their screen time. Providing your child with a few activity choices instead of television or social media can be helpful. Ironically, many people are sharing lesson plans or ideas for activities that don’t involve screen time online.

3. Take control over what you can.

   When children and adults experience stress, it is not uncommon to feel helpless. Taking action can help children feel empowered and safe. Talk to kids about what they CAN do to stay healthy such as washing their hands for 20 seconds before and after they eat, after using the bathroom and after blowing their nose or coughing.

4. Teach them how to reduce the spread of germs.

This one deserves its own bullet point as it is the most important. Remind children to stay away from people who are coughing or sneezing, and if they’re coughing or sneezing, to do so into a tissue or their elbow. Most importantly of all, teach them how to wash their hands properly and lead by example.

For more information on what you should know about COVID-19 as a parent, visit our blog post.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also provides tips for talking to kids about COVID-19 on their website.

Jenny Walczak, PsyD Clinical Director Children's Wisconsin

Our high standard of care has always required an uncompromising approach to safety. And during this COVID-19 pandemic, we continue to ensure every visit, appointment, procedure and surgery offered across all our Children's Wisconsin locations is safe.Learn more on our COVID-19 web page.