Thursday, April 9, 2020

Talking to Children About the Coronavirus

I think it is safe to say that we are all in uncharted territory right now. Routines have gone by the wayside, parents and/or guardians may be working from home (if they are lucky enough to still be working) or they may be putting their own health at risk by heading out to work in one of the essential services that are still available to us. This is a very confusing time for everyone, especially children who are missing their friends, family members, teachers, and other people that they are used to seeing on a regular basis. 

To help families navigate this difficult time, we have compiled a few resources that may be useful in explaining the current situation to children. 



Nosy Crow, a small publishing company based out of the UK, has created a free information book explaining the coronavirus to children. The book was illustrated by Axel Sheffler, illustrator of a very popular children's book called the Gruffalo, and was developed with input from Professor Graham Medley of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. You can download the book in PDF format  or read the book directly from their website








Little Puddins is a blog and resource site run by Amanda Mc Guinness (The Autism Educator) a parent of children with special needs. Her printable handout Coronavirus Social Narrative  is a helpful tool to for parents of children with autism.













You may also find some helpful books that can be downloaded from OverDrive. You will need a library card to access these books so if you don't already have one, you can apply for one on our website



Germs are Not for Sharing by Elizabeth Verdick 

This book is aimed at children ages 4-7 and teaches children what germs are, what they do, and why it is so important to keep them from spreading. 













Tracking an Epidemic by Tamara B. Orr 

This book tasks readers with following clues and using the scientific method to find out what happens during the spread of an epidemic. 















Engineering Solutions for Epidemics and Pandemics by Kara Rogers

This book is geared towards older children and teens and explores epidemic and pandemic threats and approaches to disease detection, prevention, and surveillance. 














Young children might enjoy the catchy TumbleTune  'Til the Virus Ends, available via our website on TumbeBooks.  










Web Resources

PBS Kids has some great articles on their website. Here are two that might be of interest.

Talking to Kids About COVID-19 from Anxiety Canada.

Scholastic has some articles geared towards teachers and broken down by grade level. 

Please let us know if you have any helpful resources that can be added to this site. 


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