How To Discuss Coronavirus With My Child

He/She is now housebound and unable to go to school or socialise with friends and extended family. Mum and Dad may no longer go out to work but may be working from home instead or are perhaps unable to work at all. People go out in masks and there is a sombre, anticipatory atmosphere in the air. Even very young children who don’t have words to describe this will be aware that something is not right from the change in routine, the hushed adult conversations and the general sense of anxiety that abounds. Your school age child is likely to have some information about the Coronavirus, either from prior discussion at school, from friends or from snippets he/she has heard on the news or from adult conversation. What does your child know about the Coronavirus and is this information correct? Given the impact of this pandemic on your child’s life and the potential anxiety it can cause, it is important to discuss the Coronavirus with them and to address any concerns or misconceptions they might have by providing reassurance and factual information. There are some won

Coron avirus has ch anged you r ch il d’s wo rl d, pe rhaps forever in some ways.

derful, free downloadable resources from which to start this conversation. Two free online books (available in pdf) which are particularly useful are Coronavirus: A book for Children by Elizabeth Jenner, Kate Wilson & Nia Roberts and illustrated by Axel Scheffler (illustrator of the Gruffalo) https://nosycrow.com/ blog/released-today-freeinformation-book-explaining-coronavirus-childrenillustrated-gruffalo-illustrator-axel-scheffler and Dave the Dog is Worried about Coronavirus. A Nurse Dotty book by Molly Watts https:// nursedottybooks.files.wordpress.com/2020/03/davethe-dog-coronavirus-1-1. pdf. These books aim to give information to children in a friendly, factual way to help reduce anxiety and misconceptions about the Coronavirus. A good place to start discussing Coronavirus is to ask your child what they already know about the virus. This is a useful way to clarify any false information they might have been told. Your child might have questions about what they have heard or read; try to answer these honestly and tailor your answers to your child’s age. Younger children generally just need a simple answer in basic language, don’t give them more detail than they can process. Older children might need more detail on specifics like how the virus is spread, what the symptoms are or even how we think the virus originated. Try to provide as much information as your child needs to understand it and if you don’t know the answer, be honest about that too. There is a lot we don’t yet know about this virus. Keep the conversation open and let your children know that you will update them when you have more information and that they can come back to you with questions at any time.

Wendy Corfe is a counselling psychologist in private practice in Hilton. She has three children of her own and lives on a farm in the Dargle area. She loves working with families in order to assist them in achieving optimal functioning and particularly enjoys doing play therapy with children to help them process and heal from the life challenges they may encounter.