Help, my kids have so many questions!
Ponca City Now - March 31, 2020 12:33 pm
Depending on who lives in your household, you may be encountering many more questions than you feel prepared to answer. We know this is a dynamic situation and want to provide you with some tips, tools and resources that can help you navigate questions on COVID-19.
- Consider your audience. Focus on facts, and keep explanations simple for younger audiences. For your pre-teen and teen audience, acknowledge they are likely gathering their own information and be ready to point them towards reliable, science-based facts.
- Be transparent. While we want to encourage you to stay calm, we also encourage you to be honest with your kids. If you don’t know how to answer a question, say that. If they want to know how you are feeling, share that. Demonstrating it is okay to be open with your feelings will help them feel comfortable doing the same.
- Reassure your kids. Provide your kids reassurance that while COVID-19 is causing disruptions to their day-to-day lives (school, sports, extracurricular activities, church events) remind them that the risk to them is low, and that there are a lot of really smart people dedicating their lives to reducing its impact, slowing the spread and looking for ways to prevent this from happening again.
- Share with them ways they can help, like everyday activities they can implement to help slow the spread. Handwashing, covering mouths when coughing, practicing social distance, are all simple ways you can help your kiddos feel like they are part of the solution.
The CDC has provided a page of resources dedicated to assisting you in this discussion. Or, if your audience is more visual or audio learners, check out this cool infographic from Live Science or this video from Lingo Kids.
