EXPLAINING CORONA VIRUS TO OUR KIDS: AGE APPROPRIATE RESOURCES
My boy turns 6 next week, and even at this age, I am really struggling to explain what’s happening in the world to him. It’s not easy to explain the science of a pandemic in a way he can understand, nor the emotional fall out.
As I’ve been looking for for help online, I’ve found a couple of really good resources. PLEASE, please also share with me any resources you’ve found, that I can add to the list.
1. Simple, engaging science book for kids with clear graphics and simple sentences. I’d say suitable for 5+
2. Again for older kids, but with more of an emotional well being slant, and includes many links to useful resources of things to do with the kids. More “wordy” than the first book, so definitely suitable for much older kids too. Resources at the back are great for a wide range of ages.
3. There's a brilliant PlayMobil animation to explain what's happening re the COVID-19 pandemic. I’d say it’s more engaging for younger kids (say 3-6), but still has some complicated content so you may need to pause to explain it to younger ones.
4. Newstyle videos for older kids (6+) explaining key concepts around Coronavirus. The first two videos in this series explain “how soap works” and what “flattening the curve”, means. Brainpop.com also has loads of amazing resources for home schooling.
5. A new picture book for children on how to explain and alleviate worries in the age of COVID-19, by Jon Burgerman. Get the e-version here. This book has a lot of lovely ideas on what our children can do to let go of their fears, and also explains how worries can manifest differently for different people, in a very simple to understand way. Suitable for 4+, I would say.
Addendum. Thank you for sharing your resources too. Here’s a list of what you’ve shared:
Spotify Podcast “How to talk to your children about Coronavirus with Julia Samuel MBE."
Video: Talking to children about natural disasters, traumatic events and future worries.
Janet Lansbury Podcast on “Parenting in anxious times” with special guest, author and therapist, Susan Stiffelman.
So many of you have written with this one; thank you. The brilliant Axel Scheffler has produced a book about Covid-19 Coronavirus - and it's available as a FREE download. He has worked with consultant Professor Graham Medley, two head teachers and a psychologist to make sure the book got the messages right, answering questions about quarantine, how you can catch the virus and what happens if you get ill.
Alder Hey Hospital’s Youtube channel shares this NHS video explaining COVID-19 - I would suggest this is for 5/6 years old plus.
A story booked with voiceover called “Time to come in bear” by children’s author Kim St. Lawrence - a really simple and heart warming story to explain social distancing, why we can’t see grandparents just now and to celebrate our key worker heroes.
A lovely (and free) diary / activity book to download fill in to get the kids excited about going back to school from Tales of Me Books.
If you’ve come across any other great resources please comment and share below.
Keep safe.
Sara
xxx