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This page was last updated: 24th June 2020
Information for parents/carers to help you support children and teens during the corona-virus pandemic
The aim of 'A Germ's Journey' project is to raise awareness of health hygiene. Through fun and interactive education they are teaching young children the importance of hand-washing for their own health and well-being. Their mission is to make 'A Germ's Journey' educational resources freely available at-the-point-of-access to children, parents, teachers and healthcare workers around the world.
Aha! Parenting - an American website founded to support parents to create a more peaceful home -- and happy, responsible, considerate kids using a relationship-based parenting model - !suggest 10 solutions to help you save your sanity during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown, complete with links so that you can find more in-depth information about each strategy. There is also a blog about coping yourself and talking to your children about coronavirus.
Social isolation, being off school for an extended period of time, and uncertainty about what all this means for their friends and family are just a few of the concerns young children and teens may have at this time. Here are some things that may help. There are plenty of examples of what you can say to your child.
How do you keep your children on an even keel when you yourself are not? Here are some tips from the Flourishing Families Clinic that might help in the coronavirus crisis.
Members of the British Association of Counselling and Psychology have shared their thoughts on things you can do that may help your child or teenager cope during these unprecedented times. There are also tips for parents and couples on on maintaining happy family relationships in difficult circumstances.
News about Coronavirus is difficult to avoid at this time and whether your child is being home-schooled or one of only a few going into the school setting, they will be facing new and different challenges. As a result, you may have noticed some changes in your child or teenager's behaviour. bccs (Brentwood Catholic Children's Society) suggest some ways in which you can support them, and talk to them about their anxieties. Suitable for all families of any faith or none.
With the number of coronavirus patients rising around the world, children are being exposed to information and misinformation from many sources. How can parents best keep them up to date without terrifying them? The BBC's advice is Keep it simple, stick to facts when explain coronavirus to your children. There is also a page on helping kids cope without school.
Ask most parents what they want for their children and you’ll usually receive a response of ‘health and happiness’.You may feel at the moment that both of those are at risk. However, just as there are preventative things we can do to lower the risk of infection, so too are there things we can do to help our children with the emotional impact. Here are 10 ways in which Mums and Dads can best support their little (and not so little) ones.
As news of coronavirus rapidly evolves, adults and children alike may be feeling concerned. During this time, parents can benefit from extra support at home, in both offering reassurance to children and increasing health, hygiene, and safety practices. You can these resources from Bright Horizons to help you teach and implement healthy habits and strike the right balance when talking to your child about coronavirus and keep your child engaged in learning at home.
Coronavirus is here and it’s all happening very fast. Many parents could use a hand right now, especially when it comes to talking to their children about what is happening. Barnardo's have put together some useful tips that will help you talk to your child about coronavirus.
Cafcass (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service) safeguard and promote the welfare of children going through the family justice system. They have put together guidance to support families of children they are representing as the situation during the coronavirus lockdown. It includes advice for families on effective co-parenting and child arrangements and answers frequently asked questions.
Your children may well be worried about the news and the information they hear from their peers and others about coronavirus. It is important that as a parent you are not surprised or dismissive about your child's anxiety. The Charlie Waller Memorial To begin with, you need to be aware of your own mental health concerns and take measures to address these as needed, because children are sensitive to their parents' anxiety.
The Child Mind Institute share Tips for nurturing and protecting children at home during the coronavirus crisis. There are also tips on supporting teenagers and young adults and information on anxiety and coping with the coronavirus.
Parentline, part of Children 1st, Scotland’s National Children’s Charity, offers practical and emotional support to help parents and carers through the uncertainties and challenges of the developing coronavirus situation. Articles include talking to children about coronavirus, and staying at home with your family.
During the coronavirus pandemic, schools are closed for most children who are, like the rest of us, learning and adjusting to life staying at home. Your child’s school and teachers may have supplied teaching materials to you, and are possibly carrying out online learning. However, during this time some parents may want more resources to help keep their child busy, active and learning, so the Children's Commissioner has compiled a list of handy, free online activities and materials to use at home.
A page of resources about coronavirus from the Children's National Hospital in America, including supporting children and teens; homeschooling; and answers to questions your kids may have,
Quick tips from Emerging Minds with evidence based advice for anyone supporting children and young people with their worries.
In an article about co-parenting during the UK lockdown, a Relate counsellor and family lawyer share their advice for separated parents, from the practicalities of how to move children around to keeping everyone emotionally healthy. Published by Good Housekeeping Magazine.
The Girlguiding website has a number of articles to help parents support their children through the coronavirus crisis, from talking about coronavirus, to top tips for helping you stay productive, healthy, and happy, wellbeing activities to help children and young people with their emotions during this time; and activities and adventures to keep everyone occupied during this difficult time.
Guidance for parents and carers on supporting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. This advice is to help adults with caring responsibilities look after the mental health and wellbeing of children or young people, including those with additional needs and disabilities, during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
There are no books on how to talk to kids about a global pandemic. Three experts - a child psychologist, a clinical psychologist and a paediatrician - share advice on what to tell them about the coronavirus.
An article in The Guardian called Stop a worry becoming catastrophic: how to talk to your kids about the coronavirus by Australian journalist and medical student Amy Coopes. Children hear our fears and share them and, as a consequence need our help to work it all out. Amy explains that they, especially younger children, think about and process the world in a way that can make them more vulnerable. Concepts of time, place and distance are vague or fuzzy. She asks child psychiatrist, Dr Karen Gaunson, and a children’s media literacy expert, Saffron Howden, for their thoughts on how to talk to kids about the coronavirus outbreak.
HuffPost shares advice from experts about talking to kids about coronavirus.
With so much in the media about coronavirus, many children are feeling scared or worried, particularly if there’s been lots of hearsay going on in the playground or on social media. Channel Mum’s psychologist in residence Emma Kenny is here to offer a little advice for talking to your kids about this virus, and also keeping panic at bay within the whole household.
The coronavirus has been dominating the news for a number of weeks and, in the digital age, it is no longer possible to control the news that we are exposed to, or to shield children from upsetting information. The Mental Health Foundation give some top tips on talking to your children about scary world news by minimise the negative impact it has on your children. The key is open and honest conversations at home.
The NSPCC has created a new webpage with information and advice for parents or carers who are worried a child or young person may be struggling with their mental health or has anxiety about Coronavirus. The webpage includes information on: talking about feelings and worries; keeping in touch and balancing screen time; ways to create structure and routine; and helping to give children a sense of control.
With schools closing and many adults working from home, families are going to be cooped up. It’s easy to get cabin fever when children who are used to running around the playground and hanging out with friends are stuck indoors with their parents. parentINFO suggest tips to help maintain your mental health and keep everyone’s spirits up as much as possible as we self-isolate.
Anyone can spread coronavirus. To save lives, you must now stay at home. Parent Club in Scotland have put together some useful information and videos on how to cope with this huge change and how to protect yourself and others, including keeping calm, mental health advice for parents, and supporting your child's mental health.
Advice on how to talk to your kids when they are worrying about coronavirus from PBS Parents, part of PBS Kids, the number-one educational media brand for children in America.
Coronavirus is all over the news, with talk of schools closing, events being cancelled, and people being kept in quarantine. It’s understandable that many children, and adults, are anxious about the virus and how it could impact them. Place2Be share some of their tips, and some useful resources, to support your child, and yourself, and to put their concerns in context.
Advice to help adults with caring responsibilities look after the mental health and wellbeing of children or young people, including those with additional needs and disabilities, during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
Raising Children, an Australian parenting website, has a Family Guide where you can find information on coronavirus and protective hygiene, plus tips to help you and your family cope. In particular, there is information on physical distancing and self-isolation, including tips and links, talking about it to children and to teenagers, as well as physical distancing and family wellbeing.
Save the Children have pages of information, advice and activities around coronavirus. It includes The Den - a virual den and online play area with ways of keeping the kids entertained during the lockdown, including creative play. where they can learn to build a den or make pompoms; ways of keeping them calm and connected. and seven simple tips on how to talk to kids about coronavirus.
Worry and anxiety about coronavirus is normal and understandable. Dr Lucy Russell, UK clinical psychologist, presents six strategies to help support your child (or children) to feel safe and contained, so that they will remember the coronacrisis as a time of togetherness. The strategies will also strengthen your bond with your child/ren. Lucy has also written an article on loss and grief in children and teenagers during the coronavirus outbreak, from loss of school activities to bereavement when a friend or relative dies after catching the virus.
Parents need to remain calm because many young people are worried by what they’re hearing on the news, and the daily updates are alarming. To save them (and yourself) from unnecessary anxiety, Teen Tips suggest a few simple things that you can say and do to help keep young people calm.
A signposting resource aimed largely at parents and carers, bringing together information, services and resources to help you connect emotionally and socially, whilst being physically distant during this time. There are also suggestions for learning during the school shutdown.
UNICEF is working with global health experts around the clock to provide accurate information. Information you can trust is grounded in the latest scientific evidence. Knowing the facts is key to being properly prepared and protecting yourself and your loved ones, so they have put together a page of information for parents, As well as information about coronavirus and how to protect your family, there is a fact and fiction quiz, eight tips to comfort and protect your children when talking to them about the virus, and an everything you should know about handwashing. There are also a couple of videos, one of questions and answers about coronavirus which explains the reasoning behind the advice we are being given. There is a question about the impact of coronavirus on children at 14.15. The second video is a short video summarising the six most important things to know about coronavirus. Both videos can be found towards the bottom of this page.
VWV is a law firm with four offices in the UK. In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, they have developed a free resource library, where they look at the legal issues relating to coronavirus and how to address them. There is a section for individuals which includes FAQ for separated parents during the lockdown; coronavirus and child arrangements; and the impact of coronavirus on maintenance payments.
Winston's Wish, the charity that supports grieving children, has a wealth of information, advice and guidance on supporting bereaved children and young people who lose someone from coronavirus including how to tell children when someone is seriously ill, telling them someone has died, and how to say goodbye when a funeral isn't possible.
Infographic with straightforward points about helping children cope with stress during the coronavirus outbreak.
If your child is worried or anxious about coronavirus, YoungMinds' Parents Helpline experts’ give advice on how to talk to your child and what you can do to help them, including their top ten tips. They also provide some information how to cope if your family is self-isolating.
This can be a worrying time for parents and children alike and, with everything that’s going on, it’s only natural to feel a sense of unease. Don’t fixate on worst-case scenarios. Focus on the known facts and keep things in perspective. Do your best to keep your concerns from your child (but do share with other supportive adults) and tell your child you will do everything you can to keep you both safe. Dr Lynette Rentoul shares some ti
If you are worried about your child's mental health, there is help available. Please see our page of helplines for parents and carers