Talking With Your Children About Covid-19

by Mrs. Judy Clay


The last several weeks have turned our lives upside down.  Normal routines of work, school, sports and social activities have come to a halt. Not to mention the anxiety that the concern for the health and safety of our loved ones brings.  All this change is difficult for us to process as adults, How do we speak about this with our kids? Listed below are some suggestions collected from mental health and medical professionals on how to address these concerns with your children. 

• For the benefit of the entire family, limit your news consumption.  Stay informed to be safe but set boundaries for yourself. Information overload in the current circumstances can lead to anxiety.  You can access the latest CDC recommendations here.

• Before starting this conversation with your child, check in with yourself.  Make sure you are in a calm, centered state. 

• Don’t be afraid to talk about the coronavirus but be developmentally appropriate. Keep information on a need to know basis.  Remember the goal of the conversation is to dispel fears without creating anxiety.

• Allow your child to lead the conversation.  Take your cues from them. Invite them to share what they know about the situation. Be prepared to answer questions without giving too much information and emphasize what you are doing to stay safe.  Remember it’s ok to tell your child you don’t have all the answers.

• Check in with your child periodically. When emotions spill over, remind yourself and your child that it is ok to feel anxious, scared, angry or sad and discuss how your child is feeling in a calm manner. 

• Be aware of signs of anxiety for yourself and your child.  If you are anxious, that can affect your child. Behavioral and emotional changes caused by anxiety can include irritability and moodiness, tantrums or trouble sleeping. Physical symptoms can include headaches and stomach aches. 

• Discuss activities you think can help your family cope during this time.  Remember to maintain structure and have fun. You may want to consider some of the following activities.

• Physical activity indoors: exercise, yoga, dance parties, Go Noodle
• Outdoor activities (while practicing social distancing): walks, hikes, bike rides, gardening, outdoor games
• Evening family time: movie nights, game nights
• Ways to maintain connection with family and friends: virtual playdates,  pen pals etc. Get creative! 

The Child Mind Institute has a wealth of information on children’s mental health.  For information specifically about dealing with the coronavirus crisis, click here.

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Quarantine 101: Tips for Working & Living with Your Family During Isolation

by Mrs. Judy Clay

If six months ago someone had told you what the state of the country and the world would be today, you probably would not have believed it.  Yet here we are. Quarantining, sheltering in place, social distancing, call it what you like. It all means that we are spending more time with our families than ever before.  We are working from home while supervising and assisting our kids with school. We are conference calling while trying to care for our young children. Phew, it’s a lot! If all this family togetherness seems trying at times, perhaps you will find one or two of the suggestions below helpful.  We have scoured the internet and collected what we believe to be some of the most helpful advice experts can offer. 

• Be kind to yourself and each other.  Perfection in this process is not the goal. Just do your best.

• Set daily/weekly priorities.  Create a list for each of the following: Must do,  To do, and Hope to do.

• Start your morning without screen time.  Go for a walk, read, meditate or pray. Enjoy your morning coffee or tea in peace.

• Create a routine schedule for your family and post it where everyone can see it. Be sure to refer to it throughout the day.  Include your work commitments and your children’s school commitments. For younger children, use pictures to help them distinguish the different activities and make use of a timer.  Try to be consistent with waking and bedtimes as well as meal times. Routine and structure can be helpful for the whole family. Try to schedule work times in chunks appropriate for the age of your child(ren).  Incorporate digital time with family members and friends. For example, have a story time or dance party with Grandma or have a friend join your child for lunch. Zoom, Facebook, Facetime and Google Duo are all great options for connecting. Also be sure to include breaks for you and your child.  WideOpenSchool.org offers a wealth of resources for various activities and hosted live events. 

• Start each day with your family by reviewing that day’s schedule.  The schedule may change slightly each day but try to be as consistent as possible. Set clear expectations for responsibilities for each family member and expect each family member to be helpful in some way. 

• Include some fun family activities throughout the week.  Let your child help plan these activities. This is especially important for the weekends since all of our days seem to be running together. 

• Create a workspace for each family member.  Provide a space for you to work and for your children to have school.  For the specifics of creating a good remote learning environment for your child, please refer to the Holy Child Academy Distance Learning Guide.

• Have some go to quiet activities set aside for your child to keep their attention.  These can be a life saver when that conference call runs too long.

• If you have younger children, those hours when they are sleeping can be precious work time.  Make use of quiet in the morning before they wake, in the evening after they go to bed and if you are lucky, in the afternoon while they nap.  If you do this, try to give yourself some breaks during the day so you don’t feel like you are working 24/7.

• If you have a partner working from home as well, coordinate your work days when possible.  Review your schedules and tag team for conference calls or take shifts helping the children with school. Also, consider giving each other a kid free night once a week so you can each have some time to yourself. 

How to Stay Active... Even During Lockdown! By Nick Smith, HCA Athletic Director

HCA Athletic Director and Coach, Nick Smith, with his
wife Rachel, and 4-year-old twin boys, Justin and Brandon.

Here at HCA, we have several age groups ranging from Nursery 2 through eighth grade. Many families have children of varying ages, sometimes from Pre-K to high school. Today’s blog will focus on how my family - my wife Rachel, our four-year-old twin sons, Brandon and Justin, and our spoiled dog Bella - is currently getting through each day. I look forward to sharing our ‘Smith Team’ quarantine experience with all of you!

Staying active and engaged can be challenging. I try to infuse learning lessons with physical activity each day. Ask any parent of twins and they will tell you that sticking to a routine is the best course of action. We have worked hard to keep a routine with the boys. On a regular day, after breakfast, Rachel and the boys have a morning meeting where they discuss the plan for the day, including what day of the week it is, the date, and what the weather is like. 

This is about the time I stroll downstairs and get started on the fun stuff before lunch! There are many great lessons from sports and competition that can be learned at the Pre-K level. Teaching my sons how to deal with losing has been a struggle, but one worth having. I set up simple races to challenge them, or I make a rule that they are on the same team and they have to beat me. Whether I win or lose, I watch how they react. If I sense they are not handling it the right way, we discuss it together. When I lose I make sure they see that I still shake their hands and say “good job.”Sportsmanship at this age level is just as important as any skill learned.

My wife and I also set up learning goals. One of them is working on recognizing all of the letters of the alphabet. Rachel found an alphabet chart and we made sticky notes that they can stick over the letters on the chart. To make this a more active learning experience, I have begun to hide the letters in different parts of the house and we have an alphabet scavenger hunt. When they bring the letter back, they have to put in the right place in the Alphabet, and say the letter. I have also begun having them say a word that begins with the letter they found. I have incorporated sports into these lessons, also. We set up a basketball game where I call their name and a letter. They run to the letter, grab it and bring it to me. They then run back to the same spot to catch and shoot the ball. As a basketball coach you can never be too young to learn to move without the ball. State parks have also been our best friend - they allow us to be mindful of social distancing guidelines while still enjoying the fresh air. Ridley Creek State Park, John Heinz National Wildlife Trails and the Okehocking Preserve have been my favorites so far. Rachel has found so many great ideas on Pinterest, but one of her favorites is the indoor and outdoor scavenger hunts. We give the boys a clipboard with various pictures to check off to keep them on task and active.

This past month has been stressful for nearly every family across the world, and we are no exception. My boys have asked me a few questions about what is going on, and are aware of the coronavirus. Justin sneezed the other day and asked “Is the coronavirus going to get me?!” Rachel and I believe our job is to reassure them that it will be okay and that we are doing everything in our power to keep them safe.

We have also found ways to keep our family together even though we have to be apart. For example, to stay connected with the boys’ grandparents, we recently downloaded the Google Duo app so that the boys can facetime with my Mom. She can now download their books on her kindle to read to them. These are the kinds of moments that stand out to me: making the best of a tough situation while still appreciating the little things. 

The happiest one in our house right now is definitely our dog Bella! She is never alone, and gets so much more attention. I take her on long walks in the morning and at night. It reminds me how what might seem difficult to us, can actually be a blessing. This has given us an opportunity to spend quality family time that we might not have as much of otherwise.

This was just a first glimpse into the Smith Team’s quarantine experience! I look forward to continuing this blog with some ideas to help families stay fit and active - even during lockdown.