How to talk to your child about COVID

The last year has taken a huge toll on everyone, but kids are also living with the consequences. They’ve been kept from seeing family and friends and forced to spend a lot of time indoors, often with parents who are working and stressed too. 

While your first instinct might be to try and shield them from everything to do with the pandemic, it’s not always that easy. Children pick things up, so its important that you frame things in the right way for them. 

The age of your child will be a huge factor in how you talk to them about it. Here are some tips to talk about COVID-19 with your child. 

Ask them what they know

There’s no way to know if you’re child is fretting about inaccurate information unless you know what they do. Ask them, if they’ve heard about it and what they know. 

Reassure them

The best thing you can do is, to be honest, but reassuring. Don’t go into too much detail and don’t give them any more details than they need or want. Perhaps you can liken it to a cold or another time they’ve felt ill. Let them know that there are things everyone can do to make it go away, such as washing your hands or order COVID PCR test if we’re feeling ill. 

Guide older children to the right information

If your children are a bit older, they may have access to the internet. It’s easy for them to be inundated with sensationalist headlines or conspiracy theories. You need to tell them that not everything they read is true and where they can go to get the facts. 

Maintain contact with family and friends

Children may worry about their relatives and friends, especially if they have been unable to see them fo a long time. Try to keep the lines of communication open. Video chat with them as often as possible so that they can see that they are OK. 

Seek help if you need to 

It has been reported that up to 16% of children will have some kind of mental health issue associated with lockdown. This can manifest itself in a number of ways through behavioural issues, stress, anxiety and depression. If you are concerned about your child at all, make an appointment with your GP and make sure that you get them the help that they need. A GP will be able to signpost or refer you to the best service.

Final thoughts 

It can be a delicate balancing act between protecting our children and telling them the truth about what is going on. When and how you approach it will depend on many factors, such as your child’s age, temperament and experience so far. 

Children are clever at picking up signals from their family, so they may well know a lot more than you think, especially if parents are stressed and going through their own issues as well. 

You know your own child best, and they will benefit from hearing it directly from you.