At many times throughout their lives, children will feel the world has turned topsy-turvy. It's not the ever-present smile that will help them feel secure. It's knowing that love can hold many feelings, including sadness, and that they can count on the people they love to be with them until the world turns right side up again.
At Alexandria Place Therapy, our goal is always to provide a safe, supportive environment for our clients, both children and adults. Today, with the threat of Covid-19, we understand that everyone is looking for guidance about how to manage their own worries and the worries of their kiddos. We have put together a list of some of our favorite family resources. It might be helpful to sit down and talk together about what’s happening, and provide some space for children to share their questions and worries together with you. And, as parents, it’ll be important to remember to practice good self-care, in order to better be able to support your children.
It’s also a good idea to find some family-friendly activities to help refocus our energies away from these worries. These might include: family game night, movies together, taking walks or hikes in this beautiful spring weather, cooking or baking together, and working on some fun craft activities. In addition to the resources below, you’ll see our wellness update for clients, which will fill you in on how we are doing the very best we can to continue to offer a safe and supportive space for our clients in our offices.
And, let’s keep in mind the comforting words of Mr. Fred Rogers, in times of crisis:
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”
Our Favorite Kiddo Resources
- COVIBOOK by Manuela Molina. This short book (available in multiple languages!) is to support and reassure children under the age of 7 regarding the current COVID-19 situation. Download the PDF here.
- “How to Talk to Your Kids About Coronavirus” by Deborah Farmer Kris via PBS
- “How to Talk to Your Kids About Coronavirus” by Girl Scouts
- “Just For Kids: A Comic Exploring The New Coronavirus” by Malaka Gharib via KQED
- “How to Talk to Kids About Coronavirus” by Jessica Grose via The New York Times
- “News and Children” by American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
- “Helping Children Cope With Changes Resulting From COVID-19” by National Association of School Psychologists
- Resources for kids about the coronavirus from Brainpop. These include animated videos, quizzes, worksheets, and more!
- Resources for parents on how to talk to very young children about the coronavirus from Zero to Three.
- Fairfax County’s Coronavirus Hotline: (703) 267-3511