Talking to Your Child About the Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic
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Health Tip of the Week The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has created a lot of uncertainty and caused a great deal of stress. Even with a vaccine on the horizon, many of us — children and adults — may have more questions than answers. Your child might be wondering if the pandemic will ever end and whether we’ll face another in the future.
To help guide these conversations with your child, child life specialists at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) offer these helpful tips.
When talking to your child about the pandemic, it’s important to consider their individual needs. Though it may seem counter-intuitive, withholding information from children can actually create more worry, as what they imagine can be worse than reality. One way to reduce this worry and reassure your child is to provide honest and simple information that is appropriate for your child’s age.
Your child’s world looks very different now than it did last year. Whether or not they are showing signs of stress, your child may feel a loss of control in the face of all this change. You can lessen your child’s stress and anxiety by helping them regain a sense of control over their everyday lives.
Children are just beginning to identify the activities and behaviors that help them feel calm during a stressful time. These are called coping skills, which are strategies used to reduce stress and anxiety. Talk with your child about what things might help them feel better when they are anxious. Here are a few coping skills your family can practice together:
Find more ways to help your family navigate the pandemic.
Contributors: Melanie Hoynoski, CCLS, CTRS, and Allison Tappon, MS, CCLS
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