5 Ways to Talk to Children About COVID-19

As the COVID-19 virus begins spreading in the United States, children might see or hear news about the pandemic and the loss of life. Colleen Colaner is an associate professor in the Department of Communication in the College of Arts and Science at the University of Missouri.

Here, Colaner gives five tips for how to talk with children about COVID-19, including acknowledging children’s feelings and how to talk with children about death.

5 Tips for How to Talk with Your Children About COVID-19

1. Give your child clear, accurate and age-appropriate information.

Children are aware that there is a big, scary thing happening. Giving them some details can help them understand their world a little more. When talking to your children about the virus, use clear and accurate terminology. Children can be very literal with words, so euphemisms that we think will soften the blow can actually cause confusion. For example, we may say, “There is a bug going around that is making people sick.” Some children may think of all bugs as dangerous or associate this pandemic with insects. A more accurate way to explain this would be, “There is a virus that is making people sick.”


Colleen Colaner
Colleen Colanerhttps://missouri.edu/
Colleen Colaner is an associate professor in the Department of Communication in the College of Arts and Science at the University of Missouri.

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