{"id":50,"date":"2020-04-22T08:05:53","date_gmt":"2020-04-22T15:05:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/forestgrove-strongstart\/?p=50"},"modified":"2020-04-22T08:05:53","modified_gmt":"2020-04-22T15:05:53","slug":"answering-your-young-childs-questions-about-coronavirus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/forestgrove-strongstart\/2020\/04\/22\/answering-your-young-childs-questions-about-coronavirus\/","title":{"rendered":"Answering Your Young Child\u2019s Questions About Coronavirus"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"TitleBlock\">\n<h1 class=\"TitleBlock-title\">Answering Your Young Child\u2019s Questions About Coronavirus<\/h1>\n<p class=\"TitleBlock-meta\"><span class=\"TitleBlock-language\"><a class=\"TitleBlock-language-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zerotothree.org\/resources\/3384-respuestas-a-las-preguntas-de-su-hijo-pequeno-sobre-el-coronavirus\"> En espa\u00f1ol <\/a><\/span> <span class=\"TitleBlock-date\">Mar 16, 2020<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"TitleBlock-intro u-h3-serif\">\n<p>Here are some age-appropriate responses to the common questions a toddler might have about coronavirus.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ShareButtons ShareButtons--sticky \" data-toggle-class=\"is-sticky\">\n<ul class=\"ShareButtons-list \">\n<li class=\"ShareButtons-item\"><a class=\"ShareButtons-link\" title=\"Share on Twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet\/?dnt=true&amp;text=Answering+Your+Young+Child%E2%80%99s+Questions+About+Coronavirus+%40ZEROTOTHREE&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerotothree.org%2Fresources%2F3265-answering-your-young-child-s-questions-about-coronavirus\" data-gtm=\"{&quot;event&quot;:&quot;customSocialEvent&quot;, &quot;network&quot;:&quot;twitter&quot;, &quot;action&quot;:&quot;tweet&quot;, &quot;target&quot;:&quot;\/resources\/3265-answering-your-young-child-s-questions-about-coronavirus&quot;}\"><span class=\"u-screenreader\">Share on Twitter<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"ShareButtons-item\"><a class=\"ShareButtons-link\" title=\"Share on Facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerotothree.org%2Fresources%2F3265-answering-your-young-child-s-questions-about-coronavirus\" data-gtm=\"{&quot;event&quot;:&quot;customSocialEvent&quot;, &quot;network&quot;:&quot;facebook&quot;, &quot;action&quot;:&quot;like&quot;, &quot;target&quot;:&quot;\/resources\/3265-answering-your-young-child-s-questions-about-coronavirus&quot;}\"><span class=\"u-screenreader\">Share on Facebook<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"ShareButtons-item\"><a class=\"ShareButtons-link\" title=\"Share on LinkedIn\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerotothree.org%2Fresources%2F3265-answering-your-young-child-s-questions-about-coronavirus\" data-gtm=\"{&quot;event&quot;:&quot;customSocialEvent&quot;, &quot;network&quot;:&quot;linkedin&quot;, &quot;action&quot;:&quot;share&quot;, &quot;target&quot;:&quot;\/resources\/3265-answering-your-young-child-s-questions-about-coronavirus&quot;}\"><span class=\"u-screenreader\">Share on LinkedIn<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"ShareButtons-item\"><a class=\"ShareButtons-link\" title=\"Share via email\" href=\"mailto:?body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerotothree.org%2Fresources%2F3265-answering-your-young-child-s-questions-about-coronavirus&amp;subject=Answering%20Your%20Young%20Child%E2%80%99s%20Questions%20About%20Coronavirus\"><span class=\"u-screenreader\">Share via email<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"ShareButtons-item\"><a class=\"ShareButtons-link PrintLink\"><span class=\"u-screenreader\">Print<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"u-richtext u-richtext--scale js-dot u-mt3  \">\n<div class=\"Media Media--img\"><img class=\"Media-image\" src=\"https:\/\/zero-to-three.s3.amazonaws.com\/images\/4303\/e9623163-3966-47b0-addc-c2022e010c5d-small.jpg?1584373809\" sizes=\"(max-width: 799px) 91vw, 700px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zero-to-three.s3.amazonaws.com\/images\/4303\/e9623163-3966-47b0-addc-c2022e010c5d-small.jpg?1584373809 380w, https:\/\/zero-to-three.s3.amazonaws.com\/images\/4303\/e9623163-3966-47b0-addc-c2022e010c5d-medium.jpg?1584373809 750w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n<p>Even if you\u2019ve kept your toddler away from news about COVID-19 in the media or overhearing adult conversations, they are bound to have questions. Here are some age-appropriate responses to the common questions a toddler might have. Most importantly, remember to keep your answers simple and age-appropriate.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Why can\u2019t I play with that little boy over there?<\/em> \u201cWe have to take a break from playing with others so we can all stay healthy.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><em>Why can\u2019t I have a turn with that toy?<\/em>\u201cWe can\u2019t play with other children\u2019s toys right now, so we can all stay healthy.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><em>Why are we wiping down everything with wipes?<\/em> \u201cWe wipe things down to keep them clean.\u201d You don\u2019t need to explain more than this\u2014young children don\u2019t understand germs or infection transmission yet.<\/li>\n<li><em>Why is that person wearing a mask?<\/em>\u201cSometimes people wear masks when they aren\u2019t feeling well. When they are all better, they stop wearing the mask.\u201d More on this question <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zerotothree.org\/resources\/3211-why-are-people-wearing-masks-why-are-people-covering-their-faces\">here<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><em>Is the mask a costume?<\/em> \u201cNo, sometimes people wear masks when they are sick. The mask just means they are not feeling well.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><em>Will I get sick?<\/em> \u201cEverybody gets sick sometimes. If you get sick, Mama\/Dada will take care of you until you are all better. The doctors will help you, too.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><em>Why won\u2019t Grandpa (or other loved one) kiss or hug me?<\/em> Reassure your child that their loved one still loves and cares about them very much. Then you can explain: \u201cWhen a grown-up has a cold, they can keep others from getting sick by not hugging or kissing for a while. When they feel better and are healthy again, the first thing they\u2019ll do is give you a big kiss!\u201d<\/li>\n<li><em>Why can\u2019t I see mommy (or daddy, grandma, etc.)?<\/em> If an adult in a child\u2019s life needs to be separate from them, children may feel confused about it. Don\u2019t worry your young child by talking about sickness or quarantine. You can say, \u201cMommy needs to be away for a little while, but she will be back soon.\u201d Consider ways to stay connected even when physically apart, like video between parent and child. Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zerotothree.org\/resources\/2535-five-tips-to-make-the-most-of-video-chats\">here<\/a> on making the most of video chat.<\/li>\n<li><em>Why can\u2019t I go to child care\/school?<\/em>\u201cYour child care is closed right now. Your teacher and your friends are home too, just like you. When child care is open again, you can go back and see your friends. I\u2019ll tell you when.\u201d Avoid going into details about illness so toddlers don\u2019t develop fears about attending child care.<\/li>\n<li><em>Why can\u2019t we leave the house? Why can\u2019t my friend come over to play?<\/em> \u201cRight now, there is a rule that families need to stay home for a little while and be together. That helps us and our friends stay healthy. I know it can be sad when we can\u2019t see and play with friends. But there are lots of fun things we can do together at home! Would you like to play chase or do a puzzle?\u201d Check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zerotothree.org\/resources\/3264-at-home-activity-guide\">activity guide<\/a> for play ideas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Even if your child is too young to ask these questions, you might notice that they still appear curious about all the changes happening around them. You can validate that something different is happening without going into detail. Explain that a change in routine is happening and what your child can expect instead: \u201cYou\u2019re going to be staying home with Daddy for a little while, instead of going to child care. This morning we\u2019ll go on a walk and then we\u2019ll have a snack.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Looking for more information? Visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zerotothree.org\/coronavirus\">zerotothree.org\/coronavirus<\/a> for our latest resources and updates for families.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Answering Your Young Child\u2019s Questions About Coronavirus En espa\u00f1ol Mar 16, 2020 Here are some age-appropriate responses to the common questions a toddler might have about coronavirus. Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share via email Print Even if you\u2019ve kept your toddler away from news about COVID-19 in the media or [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10009,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/forestgrove-strongstart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/forestgrove-strongstart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/forestgrove-strongstart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/forestgrove-strongstart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10009"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/forestgrove-strongstart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/forestgrove-strongstart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51,"href":"https:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/forestgrove-strongstart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50\/revisions\/51"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/forestgrove-strongstart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/forestgrove-strongstart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/forestgrove-strongstart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}