Building Strong Kids during the Pandemic: Nurturing their mental health and emotional well being

During this time your child (and you!) only need to focus on a few things to stay strong

Safe, loving caregiver

Your love is the most important factor in your child’s life right now. Children can thrive in hard times because they have a loving and stable caregiver. They are looking to you to feel safe and to learn how to manage difficult times and difficult emotions. 

Strengthen your relationship with your child by taking time to play, read, sing, dance and cuddle to connect. Find new ways to have fun. 

Even ten minutes of your undivided attention is great. 

Meet their basic needs

Food, shelter, safety, clothing, medical care and mental health. As a parent you have been doing this their whole lives, so just keep up the good work. If financial struggles make meeting those needs difficult then ask for help, there are resources out there. Continue to meet those needs in a safe, predictable way, using routine to help children understand what is happening next and to help you have structure to your day. Keep mealtime, playtime, bedtime routine consistent. They will be missing their school routine at ABC Head Start, but you can easily create a new normal routine, and stick to it. 

Emotional support

When your child is upset, your job is to bring your calm to their chaos to help them feel calm again. They likely don’t understand much about the Covid-19 crisis, but they will understand that something unusual is happening and that is it causing the adults they love to feel stress. You don’t need to explain everything to them, but they can understand clear and simple messages. For example: 

If they ask why they cannot see friends, go to school or hug grandparents, you can tell them that everyone has to stay home and away from other people to keep everyone safe and healthy for now. Remind them their teachers/friends/grandparents still love them very much, but we just cannot touch each other right now because we all need to stay healthy, but there are other ways we can show love like talking on FaceTime, or colouring a picture for them. 

Most questions about the virus can be answered using words like ‘safe’ ‘for now’ and ‘healthy’. 

Take care of yourself

Before you can care for a child, you must care for yourself. Young children are demanding, so make sure you have other ways to express your own emotions and stresses, maybe by connecting with a friend or family member. 

Take breaks from work or caregiving whenever you need. Rest, exercise, practice mindfulness, meditation, prayer or whatever other strategies you normally would to maintain good mental and emotional health. Particularly at this time, be aware of how much time you are spending watching the news or on social media as these practices can contribute to anxiety about the future. Stay present in the moment and enjoy the time with your family. 

Stay socially connected

Both you and your child need a place to belong. Find ways, likely through the use of technology, to stay connected to the people who find a sense of belonging with. Maybe that is your extended family, your neighbourhood, friends or your religious community. 

Go easy on yourself! Take care of your mental health and stay connected to those you love. 

Adapted from: Bartlett, J. (April 2020) Ways to Promote Children’s Resilience to the Covid-19 Pandemic, www.childtrends.org