8._talking_to_children_about_the_impact_of_covid-19.pdf
(64.21 KB, PDF)
… How can parents talk to children about COVID-19 and its impact? Managing family communications and supporting children in a time of uncertainty.* Archana Basu, Ph.D., Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Age / Developmental Stage Based … the recommended hygiene behaviors helps everyone stay safe can help them feel calm and in control. • Engage in positive active coping with your child. This can include reading together, playing, or being physically active. If you are limiting physical contact with others and social events, consider alternate ways of staying connected to friends and family through phone calls, video conferencing, or making cards and writing emails or letters. This helps children stay emotionally connected to the … from trusted sources and identify those age-appropriate sources (e.g., parents, school teachers, specific websites). • Talk to children about the fact that excessive focus on media and online information can be anxiety provoking and counterproductive. Finding ways to balance being safe and relaxed are both important. • Parents can model healthy limits to media and television use (and provide healthy alternatives like watching a favorite family movie together). Explore how your child is responding to …