Autumn is here! And so, we leave behind a summer, which at times made us feel like we would be allowed to have back a piece of normality. Even more painful it is to lose it again step by step. Do you know this feeling? Not even 5 minutes are passing before you hear the word “corona”, every time you turn on the car radio. We, adults, are tired of the situation – but how do our kids feel about it? How to talk about it with kids? How much they need to know – when it makes sense to hold back information? We summarise the most important aspects:
Adapt the information to the age of the children
How much you tell a child about this disease, primarily depends on the age of it. Now almost every child is confronted with this topic and is snapping many words, so it is important to explain them honestly, but also suitable for children. Children soak up quite more information from their surroundings, then we are aware of as adults – If we do not explain to them what is going on, they probably get their own imaginations in their heads, which could develop into fears, about which they do not want to talk about, or just cannot.
Assign children an invaluable role
Now also our children are expected to handle an enormous life change and adjustment process. It can be assumed, that the willingness to compromise and the frustration tolerance will be much higher, if the child understands, why it must make so many sacrifices now. As it is for us adults, children can accept changes easier, if they feel like they can contribute something important. Children love to be little helpers, which play an important role in family life. Therefore, explain to your children, that they assume an important task if they forgo some things.
Family as a team in home office
If you are in home office with your children and partner, you could make a little game out of this “new daily routine” Children love role-playing games: Assign a specific task to each family member and hold a team meeting once a day, to check the actual needs. Children should also feel like being allowed to speak and to contribute something – let every one of the family feel, that each person has an important role in this process.
It is allowed to ask questions!
Be open to all the questions your child is asking and take this chance to teach your daughter or son in this way, how important it is to stick together as a society.
Photo credits: unsplash.com/@seffen99