Back to School: How Parents Can Talk to Kids About Social Distancing and Wearing Masks

With recent studies finding that children may carry the coronavirus at unusally high levels, talking to your kids about wearing masks, social distancing, and washing their hands regularly — and modeling the behavior you want them to emulate — is incredibly important right now.

For parents like Tomika Bryant, COVID-19 talks have been ongoing. “We’ve been having this conversation since things started opening. Masks are to protect others and it is how we show that we are good humans,” the mother of two told Mom.com.

Also important to note: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced they are expecting an outbreak of acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) — a life-threatening neurologic condition that affects mostly children — this year as a result of complications from COVID-19, making these conversations even more vital.

COVID-19 talking points to address and activities to share with your kids

Talking about COVID-19 safety can be made into fun, hands-on activities to participate in with your child. Social distancing games and activities are a great way to broach difficult topics with kids.

Illustrate what proper social distancing looks like.
Measure out six feet with a piece of string, ribbon, or stick that is six feet in length to help your child visualize how far away they need to be from friends and other people. Expand upon that by having them go around the house and measure items that are six feet from other items.

Use stuffed animals to demonstrate social distancing.
Young children love playing school. Incorporate lessons about slowing the spread of COVID-19 into their play. Have your child set up a socially distant classroom with their stuffed animals and walk them through regular classroom scenarios, like getting up to sharpen a pencil to further cement the idea.

Teach kids about germs and bacteria.
Buy a set of agar petri dishes and perform a fun, albeit gross, science demonstration. Start by swabbing your child’s hands — before and after washing with antibacterial soap — then swab their tongue, a doorknob, and a light switch. Place those samples in individual petri dishes. After a few days show your child the results, emphasizing the importance of regular handwashing.

Come up with a family handwashing song.
Have your child run through a list of their favorite songs and choose one that your family will consistently use as their official handwashing song. (Make sure it’s at least 20 seconds long, the CDC guideline for effective handwashing duration.)

Explore new ways to greet friends.
Young children are very touchy-feely and love to greet one another with hugs and high fives. Express to your children that in order to keep everyone healthy, they’re going to have to find new ways to say “hello.” Experiment with air high fives or elbow bumps, or let your child come up with a new, special socially distant greeting to share with their friends.

As schools reopen and parents prepare to send kids back to class, expressing the importance of social distancing and mask-wearing to young kids may prove difficult. Discuss COVID-19 in an age-appropriate way by using language they can understand without overwhelming or scaring them. Help them understand that they shouldn’t share things like crayons, toys, and snacks. This is likely the opposite of what you’ve been telling them, so there is bound to be some anxiety and confusion on their part.

Therapist Jody Baumstein advised not to discount your child’s feelings when discussing difficult topics. “When a child’s feelings are dismissed, they may think you’re saying their feelings are not OK. In that case, they’re not going to share those feelings again. It also doesn’t help reduce their stress,” she wrote on the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta website.

How to talk to kids of various ages about social distancing

Preschool to elementary age: Very young children look at the world in a very literal way. Start with understanding what they know about the importance of mask-wearing and staying six feet away from their friends and teachers, and then be clear about your expectations. Most young children also thrive on routine or rhythm. Stress the importance of washing their hands for 20 seconds, using the aforementioned family handwashing song.

Middle school age: Older kids are still likely to come to you with questions and concerns. Encourage discussions about what they see and hear on the news. Talk about how various states have responded, comparing statistics to illustrate how certain states were more effective in slowing the spread of COVID-19 than others. Finally, older kids are often looking for a sense of purpose; harness that helper spirit and come up with ways they can help others during this difficult time.

Schools are doing their best to make social distancing easy for kids by following CDC school reopening guidance. Some elementary school teachers are even coming up with fun and creative desk configurations to help students maintain social distancing. In addition to having the important conversations discussed above, here are a few things parents can do.

• Stock kids’ backpacks with items that help slow the spread of COVID-19
• Purchase masks that your child will enjoy wearing
• Make a cloth face covering with your kids

As schools begin to reopen, talking to kids candidly and at an age-appropriate level about wearing masks and social distancing should be a part of the regular back-to-school routine. Conversations are likely going to need to be repeated, especially in the first few months, as everyone is settling in to this “new normal” we all hate to talk about.