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This page was last updated: 23rd April 2020
Videos and other resources for parents and carers to help you support children and teens during the coronavirus pandemic
Videos for parents and carers
Many parents are wondering how to bring up the coronavirus epidemic in a way that will be reassuring and not make kids more worried than they already may be. Here is some advice Jamie Howard, PhD, Clinical Psychologist at the Child Mind Institute.
Dan Hughes talks to foster carers, adopters, parents under pressure and all adults around traumatised children as we navigate our way through the Corona Virus pandemic.
Dr. Ehrenreich-May, child psychologist, explains three tips for talking to your child about COVID-19
Dr Michelle Dickinson shows you how to use a bowl of water and some pepper to help explain to your children why soap and water are needed to remove viruses and other germs from your hands to prevent them from spreading.
Dr Michelle Dickinson explains how soap kills the coronavirus using a balloon filled with confetti.
Dr Michelle Dickinson modified a recipe from her kitchen science cookbook to create a super-powered virus fighting soap for your kids that is super simple to make while explaining the science behind why washing our hands with soap and water is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of germs including coronavirus.
Coronavirus is causing children to worry about themselves and others. Children who have been bereaved are likely to show a stronger reaction and may worry that they or someone they know will die. Child Bereavement UK gives some guidance on how to help support a bereaved child.
Family meetings are a great way to build on strengths, promote collaboration, working through conflict by problem solving. Bristol Child Parent Support share some ideas so you can empower your family.
An interview with clinical psychologist and US parenting advisor, Dr. Laura Markham on how to help kids (and parents) navigate questions around the coronavirus. There is also an accompanying blog.
The World Health Organisation has given some advice on helping children cope with the emotional stress during the current coronavirus outbreak. As children may respond to stress in a different way to adults, it is important to support them, listen to their concerns and give them extra reassurance, love and attention during these difficult times.
Dr Jon Goldin, Vice Chair Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Faculty of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, offers advice for parents of children and young people dealing with anxiety during the coronavirus pan-demic.
Podcast
Podcast about issues that may arise for autistic children including the disruption of closing schools, anxiety and obsessive behaviours, focusing on practical tips like how to help manage anxiety, maintain structure and support and explain the situation to young people, as well as coping with school closures. Additionally, tips on how to keep well as a parent and reliable sources for coronavirus updates.
Illustrated resources for young children
Explains coronavirus in simple terms.
Dave the dog is worried about coronavirus. An intensive care children's nurse has written a story book for younger readers that may be worried about coronavirus and for parents to help them explain what is happening.
A digital information book for primary school age children to help explain the coronavirus and the measures taken to control it. It answers lots of questions in a child-friendly way, and aims to both inform and reassure.
This book talks about why we're staying inside, what we can do - like washing our hands, and the fact this isn't forever, and hope.
Simple poster about germs and the importance of hand washing.
Story book for children explaining why they need to wash their hands.
Coronavirus story
Health and wellbeing poster
The ELSA (emotional literacy support assistants) support website provides downloadable resources that support the teaching of emotional literacy or emotional intelligence by ELSAs and, other teaching professionals, as well as resources suitable for parents to use. They have developed a number of resources about coronavirus that parents can use with their children, isome of which are shown below. Further resources can be found here.
Social contact
Our school is closing for a while
We are at home right now
Someone I know has coronavirus
Counting elephants hand washing poster
Design a worry monster
April wellbeing calander
The Story of the Oyster and the Butterfly: coronavirus and me by Ana Gomez.
You can find suggestions of books to help children manage their feelings and videos for children and other resources on our Children and young people's coronavirus page.
If you are worried about your child's mental health, there is help available. Please see our page of helplines for parents and carers
Resources
People who identify as Asian American or Pacific Islander (AAPI) are currently being subjected to racism related to the COVID-19 virus. It is important that parents and caregivers help children identify harmful language and behaviour and encourage children to stop it.
With schools across the UK closed, many children will be at home. Parents/carers will in-evitably be concerned about the effect this may have on their child’s development, their physical and mental health, as well as their family’s wellbeing. Here are ten tips on supporting their wellbeing.
A resource that includes practical strategies, drawn from science, and applied in homes to help parents during the coronavirus pandemic that is simple, practical, and do-able.
A parenting handbook from Phoenix Education Consultancy designed to help you manage the daily transition from parent to teacher whilst supporting you with non elective home schooling. They share their tips and insights as both teachers and parents.
Ideas for what you can do with kids whilst in lockdown and off school.
Talking to children about coronavirus
Children need our calm, empathetic presence; accurate information offered in “just right” amounts; emotion-al connections, predictable rou-tines, and practical strategies that can help reduce their risk of infection while increasing their resilience and sense of control.
Advice for parents and professionals about children’s understanding of illness at different developmental stages.
Eight quick points about talking to children about coronavirus to use as an aide memoire.
Mental health
Tips from Stem4 on supporting your teenager’s mental health whilst maintaining your own during the coronavirus outbreak
Resource pack to help parents cope with anxiety and worry around coronavirus
Looking after your family’s emotional wellbeing at home
How to respond to toronavirus when it impacts your family. Educational Psychologist Siobhan Currie, goes back to the basics.
Families across the world are adapting to the evolving changes in daily life caused by the coronavirus pandemic. School psychologists and school nurses in America share some tips.
Advice from Cafcass for parents who are co-parenting during the UK's lock-down.
Support and advice for schools and parents/carers from the British Psychology Society following the closure of schools in the UK.
Children may respond differently to the coronavirus outbreak depending on their age. Here are some reactions according to age group and the best ways you can respond.
The coronavirus pandemic, can cause children to worry about themselves and others. If have been bereaved they are likely to show a stronger reaction and may worry that they or someone they know will die. Here are some tips to help you support a bereaved child
It is not surprising that the Coronavirus epidemic is causing increased levels of anxiety in children and young people, particularly those who already struggle with their own mental health. This resource looks at different types of anxiety, signs and symptoms to look out for and ways to support children if they are experiencing anxiety.
Self-care
By looking after our own mental health, we’ll be best placed to look after our children. As well as self-care tips, there is plenty of advice on looking after your kids.
This worksheet from the NCBC {National Centre for Behaviour Change) wants us to start considering that often our thoughts cause our body to react in a way as if that thought is really happening or is an actual threat to us in this moment and we want to start being able to train the brain to be able to challenge these in order to manage our anxiety responses in a different way.
Parenting
Advice from the Family Rights Group about ways you can support your child during the coronavirus outbreak
It is hard at the best of times coping with a crying baby. However, it is much more difficult when you are confined to the house and separated from your usual activities and support from family and friends. With this in mind, the Institute of Health Visiting have put together a few facts on infant crying which they hope new mums will find helpful - and, most importantly, some tips on how to get through this time and feel more in control and safe.
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has upended family life around the world. School closures, working remote, physical distancing — it's a lot to navigate for anyone, but especially for parents. Unicef and the Parenting for Lifelong Health initiative have developed a set of handy tips in the form of full-colour posters to help parents and carers manage this new (temporary) normal covering one-on-one time, keeping it positive, get structured, bad behaviour, keeping calm and managing stress, and talking about COVID-19.
Guidance, reassurance and practical steps to transform your forced-seclusion and social distancing into a true family retreat. This guide, and all the materials linked in it - are aimed to serve you. Pick and choose what works for you and release the rest. This is a #guiltfree and #judgementfree zone - there is no onesize-fits-all and no such thing as 'behind'.
Guidance, reassurance and practical steps to transform your forced-seclusion and social distancing into a true family retreat. This guide, and all the materials linked in it - are aimed to serve you. Pick and choose what works for you and release the rest. This is a #guiltfree and #judgementfree zone - there is no onesize-fits-all and no such thing as 'behind'.
A germ's journey: educational resources to help parents and carers teach children the importance of washing their hands in a fun and interactive way.