Children, especially younger ones, will be confused and frightened by listening to adult talk, TV and even by conversations among themselves. They can be disturbed by body language, tone of voice and the general confusion. As children see upsetting images on TV or hear alarmist talk, they may believe that they are in imminent danger.
Children need a feeling of security and this is ensured by reassurance, consistency and routine in the home environment. Home, sweet home, may be a utopian flashback for most adults, but for children, it needs to be a constant protective cocoon.
Parents, family members and other trusted adults can help children make sense of what they hear in a way that is honest, accurate and helps to minimise anxiety or fear in a balanced way. Such conversations can be useful for teaching them hygiene and personal safety and enroll them as allies in the fight against the spread of the disease, and environmental protection.
Keep the explanation simple, using words, concepts and examples which are easily understandable. The information should be appropriate to the age of the child. Tell them about how some stories on the internet and social media may be based on rumours and wrong information. Explain who the experts and leaders are and use examples from whom we can get reliable information.
Ask them what they have heard on television, from adults or friends. Discuss those random bits of hearsay and provide corrections, explanations and assurances as needed. Keep a calm tone and composed body language, because children pick up signals from those as well as your words. Children will even listen in when you talk to other adults, so be consistent.
Make time to talk, listen attentively and be available so children know they can come to you when they have questions or fears. Avoid blaming others, or making assumptions about who might be vulnerable to Covid, especially groups that may be stigmatised.Be a role model. Children will follow your reactions and learn from your examples.
Teach children everyday actions to reduce the spread of germs. Remind children to stay away from people who have fever or coughing or other infectious symptoms. Remind them to cough or sneeze into a tissue or their elbow, then throw the tissue into the trash. Get children into a hand-washing habit.
Teach them to wash their hands with soap and water, especially after blowing their nose, coughing or
sneezing; going to the bathroom and before eating. Singing a well-known song during handwashing will help time the 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, teach them to use hand sanitiser. Hand sanitiser should contain at least 60 per cent alcohol. Supervise young children when they use hand sanitiser to prevent swallowing alcohol.
In most families, adults work during the day, so it is a new experience for children to have parents around the whole time. Create a routine for the family that makes the most of this situation and enhances family bonding and reduces time for children to worry.
A family meeting to discuss and decide about the day’s activities will make them feel included. Assigning age-appropriate tasks will make them feel important and involved. Family decisions could cover food and diets, TV and screen time, personal and home cleanliness, protection of the elderly, and many other issues. Family play time is especially delightful for younger children. Children like to hear stories of compassion and helping and there are many inspiring examples in Meghalaya.
Primary school or younger children needn’t worry much about missing schoolwork but set aside an hour a day to look at their books and do some artwork and reading. Get them involved in a house project, rearranging furniture, creating an art corner, playing board games or making up stories. Older children can make ‘flatten the curve’ charts or make a scrapbook on Covid. Share these on family and friends WhatsApp groups.
Most children will do well with the assurance of parents and other family members, and will be happy to have parents around the whole day. They may show occasional concern or anxiety. A few children, however, may be at risk for more intense reactions, including severe anxiety or depression.
Worrisome situations may bring to the surface or exacerbate a pre-existing mental health problem, which may be related to a prior traumatic experience or abuse, family instability, or recent loss of a family member. Children may also witness domestic abuse during the lockdown.
The National Commission of Women has expressed its concern at the apparent rise in domestic violence.
The hotlines run by NGOs that are the usual channels for women to report such attacks are eerily silent. Activists and experts believe that this rise in domestic violence probably reflects the continuous presence of the abuser at home during the lockdown.
Contact a professional if you observe the following persistent behaviours lasting more than a week. In preschool children, the symptoms can be thumb sucking, bedwetting, clinging to parents, sleep disturbances, loss of appetite, fear of the dark, regression in behaviour and withdrawal.
In primary school children, the symptoms are irritability, aggressiveness, agitation, clinginess, nightmares, poor concentration and withdrawal from activities and friends.
There are many resources on the internet. UNICEF, the World Health Organisation and the National Association of School Psychologists have dedicated web pages with resources for engaging with children during the COVID pandemic. The University of Philippines College of Education has compiled an online children’s dictionary of COVID-19 terms.
The following are the probable questions and answers to them:
What is COVID-19?
A contagious disease made up of alphabets that stand for CO-Corona, a large family of viruses (germs) that can be passed between animals and people, VI-Virus, D-Disease, and the number 19, because it was discovered in 2019. It is a new virus. Doctors and scientists are still learning about it.
Is it very dangerous?
Yes, it can be. Because it has spread all over the world in a short time and made a lot of people sick, some of whom have died. But most people will be fine, especially children. Doctors and nurses are working hard to help people stay healthy, and scientists are working on new medicines and a vaccination.
What happens if someone gets sick?
People can get a fever, cough, or have a hard time taking deep breaths. We take them to a hospital where they will get a test and treatment. A few people may get very sick and need to be on a breathing machine.
Why do people have to stay far apart?
Explain the spread of germs and assure them that they can hug and play with family members.
To inform your child about the ongoing crisis, you can take the help of the age-old method: storytelling. The following is a short and simple story about the bad guy corona and how to defeat it.
Once Upon a Time There Was a Germ Named Covid
A germ is a tiny animal, so small that you cannot see it. There are good germs and bad germs, but Covid is a bad germ. From one Covid, many more of them grew. Now there are so many of them, and all of them have the same name Covid. They came to the world only a few days ago, and they have gone all over. There are so many Covids in the world, that we cannot count them.
If a Covid gets into your body it can make you sick. It makes your body become hot with fever.
If it gets into your chest, you may have trouble breathing, like if someone puts a pillow over your face. Fortunately, Covid does not make everyone sick, but we all need to be careful.
The Covid germs can spread to anyone, adults, children and all kinds of people all over the world. No one is to blame for this, only the germs. Most people will be okay, the germ hardly makes children sick, and those who get sick may be taken to a hospital.
You’ve seen people wearing masks. They do that for two reasons. One reason is to prevent the germs from getting inside our body through the mouth or nose. And also, if someone has the germs, the mask will block them from getting out to spread to other people.
There are other ways of being careful. We should wash our hands often because hands can pick up Covids and put them inside our body, especially if you put your fingers in your mouth or nose. So keep your hands clean and out of your mouth, nose, and eyes. This will help keep the germs out of your body.
Till Covid goes away, we need to be careful. Strangers and travellers from other places can bring the Covid germs to us, so we should stay far away from them. That’s why schools are closed and people don’t visit each other much and stay mostly at home. We may even stay away from friends or relatives who come to visit our house. Most big people are staying at home because the germs can spread at the work places. At home we can hug and play touching games but only with our family. Animals are safe, so you can play with your dog and cat or any other pets.
Only a few people are working. The doctors and nurses need to take care of the sick people in the hospitals, the police and firemen are taking care of the town, working hard to keep us all safe. Some shops are open so that we can get food.
So you don’t need to worry about anything. We are all at home together. Even if someone gets sick, the hospitals are open. Have you seen on TV how the nurses and doctors dressed up in gowns, caps and masks? They know how to help the sick people get well and stop the germs from spreading to other people. One day soon, the Covidgerms will be gone. How will this happen? If we are careful, the germs cannot spread and they will die. Sick people who go to the hospital will get medicines to kill the germs. And when the germs are all gone, the children will go back to school and the big people will go back to work. And everyone will be fine.
Illustrations by
Careen J Langstieh
Text by Glenn C
Kharkongor