Helping Kids with the Coronavirus COVID-19 and Video

I have been thinking about blogging again for a few years, but each time I do, it's 10:30pm at night and I have to get to bed.  It was way easier for me to blog back in the days when my kids had fewer after-school activities and went to bed at 7pm! Now, some of our activities don't even end until 7pm.

But with the recent events, and hearing so many kids suffering and feeling anxious about COVID-19 and then with the schools closing, I felt it was time to help parents and kids navigate this- and hopefully we can all help each other out. 

I wish I had all the answers, but as you know, with anxiety, it is all about the uncertainty.  Anxiety feeds off the unknown.  And with the unknown of this pandemic, most people who don't usually have anxiety are having it.  Kids are feeling it and it's up to us as parents to help them navigate it.

Here are a few things that have helped:

1) I ran across a video a therapist, Natasha Daniels, created to help explain the virus to kids. I had my kids watch it (on youtube kids), and it helped them understand what it is and how to navigate it. 

2) Keep the news off.  I have been reading my news on my phone/laptop, the actual newspaper (it's only 11$ a month for every day of the week), and when the kids go to bed at night.  News only fuels their anxiety.

3) Social Distance. That means no play dates.  It's not a snow day people! When the virus spreads, it not only makes more people sick, it causes more cases which means not going back to school or work for a longer time, and a poor economy. 

4) Get outdoor time if possible. Throw around a ball, run around, ride scooters, bikes, etc. It helps decrease anxiety.

5) It's ok for a little screen time.  In times like these, I say go for it.  When we watch movies or tv shows as a family, I forget what's going on in the real world and it 's a huge distraction.  Mine are affected by blue screens though, so we try to make sure the tv's are off an hour before bedtime.


Tomorrow I will post a few activities that have helped my kids get through the day!  Anyone have good tips?