Michele Coronavirus, COVID19, Pandemic Life

Helping Kids Cope With Pandemic Life

Pic of boy sitting alone by a window in a mask who is dealing with quarantine sadness. See article for resources on how to help kids with covid issues.

2020 has been a challenging year for millions of families across the country as routines and lives have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The greatest disruption has been in the area of our social interactions. With social distancing and isolation requirements  to protect our health, have come a new set of issues and stresses for all, but especially for children.  

Children don’t always respond to stressful events in the same way as adults do. Often they are unable to articulate how they are feeling or pinpoint a cause. However, there are behavioral clues that can help parents and other adults know they are not managing to deal with stress well. Some of these are: 

  • Excessive worry or sadness
  • Unhealthy eating or sleeping habits
  • Irritability and “acting out” behaviors
  • Lack of school interest or poor performance
  • Avoidance of school work, including simple tasks 
  • Difficulty with attention and concentration
  • Avoidance of activities enjoyed in the past

Children sometimes learn ways to cope with stressful situations from cues they receive from their peers and adults in their lives. The social isolation required by this pandemic has not been easy, as children and all the adults around them have been greatly impacted by the uncertainties of COVID-19. It is therefore important for parents to first identify any issues and then help their children develop coping strategies that will enable their resilience in dealing with the challenges that covid will continue to create in our lives. 

The University of Colorado School of Medicine offers a number of tips to help support children. They include:  

  • Taking time to talk with your children about the COVID-19 outbreak. Answer questions and share facts about COVID-19 in a way that your child can understand. It’s important to acknowledge their fears and concerns.
  • Reassure them that they are safe. Share with them how you deal with your own stresses so that they can learn from your own coping mechanisms and can approach you when they are concerned or fearful.
  • Limit your child’s exposure to media coverage about COVID-19. Children may misinterpret what they see or hear and may get frightened about something they don’t understand.
  • Make sure you create and maintain a sense of structure and routine, which often provides comfort to children. 
  • Be a role model; take breaks, get plenty of sleep, exercise, and eat well. Connect with your own friends and family members virtually so they can learn to use technology for peer and family support.

We have listed below some additional resources you might find helpful in supporting your children during this time: 

For more resources related to children, teens and homeschooling during this pandemic, please visit our CORONAVIRUS COVID19 RESOURCES page.

Michele Coronavirus, COVID19

COVID Personal Safety Tips

Article updated November 28, 2020

Even though scientists are continuously discovering new information since the Coronavirus emerged, some of the basic safety measures still remain the same. For example, after dozens of studies, the fact that the #coronavirus can live on some surfaces for a long time is still true, but where there are differences is in exactly how long it can survive on different surfaces like paper, plastic, and metal. Regardless of how long it does live on a surface, there are still 3 personal strategies that have been essential in helping people protect themselves against COVID-19:

  • Personal hygiene practices: washing hands vigorously
  • Environmental cleanliness: disinfecting commonly touched surfaces
  • Personal behavior practices: Wearing masks & Social Distancing

The most effective and easiest method of personal protection against #COVID19 is by not touching your face. That alone will dramatically cut your exposure to the virus. Next is developing a practice of hand washing before and after certain activities:
https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1244006497635491841/pu/vid/720×720/qcd8t8vDorTauiLB.mp4?tag=10

By now you’ve heard a lot about 1 personal hygiene habit, that is extremely important: washing your hands. Here’s a video on the best way to wash so you are sure you’ve killed all harmful bacteria and viruses like COVID19.

Two other practices that are equally important is how you sneeze or cough and where. But even most important is what you do immediately afterwards. Even if you use your sleeve, use a tissue to wipe your face. Then immediately dispose of it in the trash. In order not to infect anyone else you should wash your hands immediately or use hand sanitizer.

Understanding how we get infected, helps us to know how to prevent getting sick. Below is a wonderful infographic that can be used to show others how the coronavirus infects and is transmitted to groups of all ages. Click through the cartoon to read the story

Studies have shown that not all disinfectant products are effective at killing #COVID19. The EPA has a list of over 500 disinfectants that are effective at killing this coronavirus, also known commonly as #COVID19, or by its scientific name: SARS-COV-2. Please visit this linked EPA page to see the full list.

Sadly, not everything in your life can be cleaned with a disinfectant. In fact the items that poses the most danger to you is something you need to learn how to clean differently. What is it? Your cellphone. Studies have shown that our cellphones have more bacteria than our toilets – Ewww, I know.
But because cellphones are electronic you cannot spray them with disinfectants. Watch the video through the link below to learn how to clean and disinfect your mobile phone without causing any damage.

throuhttps://komonews.com/news/coronavirus/heres-how-to-clean-your-electronic-devices-without-damaging-them?jwsource=cl

By The way, not all hand sanitizers are effective. Here’s how to select the ones that can kill the #Coronavirus #COVID19 and how to use them so they’re effective. Link: http://bit.ly/38tKvYe

When to use a sanitizer and What Type

Protecting your family involves more than handwashing, it involves planning and a new way of doing things. For example: it involves wiping down your groceries before putting them away; storing the shoes you wore outside in an area where they won’t infect your family or pets; making certain plans in order to help vulnerable family members avoid others who might carry carriers of #COVID19. You can find all of this and more in the Household Pandemic Guide posted here: bit.ly/2HS03ue

Finally, stay informed of #coronavirus community spread and school and other closures in your area by signing up for updates with your local/county health department as they will be the ones responsible for making those decisions. Follow your State & local Health Depts on fb/twitter and online to learn of health alerts in your area. To find them visit:
https://www.naccho.org/membership/lhd-directory