How to talk to our children about the Coronavirus.
Closing schools and day-care centers, parents home from work and line-ups at the grocery store. For children it can be a pretty big mouthful to understand what is currently going on in British Columbia and the rest of Canada.
It is important to recognize children’s concerns. Talk to your children, but keep it simple.
They intercept a lot when adults talk together, and they can hardly avoid hearing about corona. Listen to what your child has heard about the virus, ask about their concerns, and help your child to sort out the correct and incorrect information about the virus.
Make sure the information you share with your child is accurate and avoid passing on panic and undocumented rumors. Tell about prevention and what they themselves can do. Please always check websites from authorities yourself first.
Avoid telling how many people in other countries have died of Covid-19. It does not help your child, and explanations for why things have gone wrong elsewhere may be too complex for smaller children. Instead, highlight the good – how hospitals in British Columbia are equipped to deal with the infection.
Stay safe and keep the distance.