Parents Helping Young Kids Through the COVID-19 Crisis

What has your child heard, and what do they think? Sometimes when young children are trying to make sense of things, they will come up with explanations that are not only wrong, but may make them feel even worse. 

For example, does your child think that everyone who gets COVID-19 will die? (Note: This is not correct. The risk of serious illness or death for children is particularly low) Or do they perhaps think that they are no longer going to school because they did something wrong?

Examples of realistic, honest, and reassuring things you may choose to share:

"There are very smart people whose job it is to take care of the public health. They are figuring out what we all need to do to keep people safe."

"Most people who have this illness are okay. Most people only get a little bit sick and then they get better." You could remind your child of a time they got sick with a cold, was taken care of, and got better.

"Do you know what a virus is? Viruses are like germs - different kinds of germs can cause lots of illnesses like regular colds. Remember when you got a cold? It was not fun, but you got better! Viruses do not happen to people because they did something wrong-no one is to blame, and our whole community is working together to try to keep people healthy and safe."

"There are a lot of helpers! Doctors, nurses, first responders, grocery workers, garbage truck drivers, mail deliverers, teachers, and more, are all working together to figure out how to help."

"To keep people safe and healthy, we are following the rules that scientists and doctors tell us will help. These rules include: washing our hands often, trying not to touch our face with our hands, sneezing into a tissue or our elbow, and wearing a face mask."

We are all in this together, and parents and caregivers are understandably worried and wanting information, too. Please be aware that "small pitchers have big ears" - even very young children are aware of our emotions, tone of voice, or urgency and fear coming through the tv or radio. Do your best to minimize their exposure to these things and please care for yourself too.

This tip sheet has been compiled by the Zero to Thrive team, led by Dr. Katherine Rosenblum (Last updated 8/20/20) Please note that this tip sheet is an abbreviated version. For the complete document, refer to: https://www.michigan.gov/documents/coronavirus/Z2T_infographic-COVID-19_kids_Reduced_Size_684291_7.pdf