Helping Kids Deal with COVID19

Like adults, kids are dealing with big emotions as a result of physical distancing measures during the COVID19 public health situation. The difference is that kids don’t necessarily have the skills developed to deal with those big emotions.

Here are some resources for help talking with kids and continuing their education online at home. Thanks to the National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation, The Skamania Klickitat Community Network, and others for contributing to this list.

Talking with Children

• Center for Disease Control and Prevention: Talking with children about Coronavirus Disease 2019 – Messages for parents, school staff, and others working with children: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/talking-with-children.html
• National Association of School Psychologists:Talking to Children About COVID-19 (Coronavirus): A Parent Resource: https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/school-climate-safety-and-crisis/health-crisis-resources/talking-to-children-about-covid-19-(coronavirus)-a-parent-resource
• Stanford Children’s Health: How to Talk with Kids About COVID-19: https://healthier.stanfordchildrens.org/en/how-to-talk-with-kids-about-covid-19/
• Seattle Children’s Hospital: Helping Children and Teens Cope with Anxiety About COVID-19: https://pulse.seattlechildrens.org/helping-children-and-teens-cope-with-anxiety-covid-19/
• NPR: Just For Kids: A Comic Exploring The New Coronavirus: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/02/28/809580453/just-for-kids-a-comic-exploring-the-new-coronavirus
• AllSides for Schools offers a variety of educational tools that are great for building news literacy and life skills, including lesson plans and conversation guides.
• The National Association of School Nurses and National Association of School Psychologists have provided advice on how to talk to children about the pandemic.
• A truly impressive number of educational companies are offering free subscriptions while schools are closed: visit this website for a full list. 

Continuing Education at Home

For the unwired

For those who do not have or have limited access to online connectivity, one place you can look to is Oregon Public Broadcasting’s own television channels. OPB is revamping its programming lineup from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. to prioritize educational shows. If those 12 hours aren’t enough, OPB’s 10.3 channel has kids’ programming 24/7.

For older children, OPB has shows focused on our region and its rich history (“Oregon Experience“), the arts (“Oregon Art Beat“) and wild places (“Oregon Field Guide“).

Downtime to de-stress is imperative right now, for your children and for you, so check out these breathing and mindfulness techniques at this great local resource Peace in the Schools.

Online learning staples

If you’ve poked around on your own for education resources, chances are you’ve come across Khan Academy. It offers lessons on a range of topics, organized by subject and grade level.

Scholastic Learn at Home has reading activities.

GoNoodle.com provides movement and mindfulness videos created by child development experts. Movement and mindfulness benefits kids’ physical wellness, academic success, and social-emotional health.

Staying connected to friends

Facebook Messenger Kids is a version of the app that is designed for kids. It’s helping kids stay connected through video and chat.