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How to look after your children’s mental health during the pandemic

1. Children and young people may also be affected mentally by the coronavirus outbreak, but they may not have the tools to communicate how they are feeling or how it is affecting them.

2. How they feel about the outbreak may depend on a number of factors including their age, any past health experiences that they have had as well as their overall understanding of what’s happening.

3. Some children may become worried about their health or about the health of their loved ones. This could induce different behaviour in children such as getting angry or growing distant and becoming withdrawn.

4. Children and young people may feel less anxious if they are in an environment which they feel safe and supported in. it is important to stay calm around children, as many children take behavioural cues from their caretakers which means how you respond to the outbreak could have a huge impact on children around you.

5. It is important to listen to children and to acknowledge any concerns that they may have and to try and answer these questions as honestly as you can. Some children may benefit from extra love and attention at this time.

6. Children and young people are also likely to respond well to clear instructions on how to keep safe during this time. This can be done with activities which all children can engage in such as washing hands as well as teaching them about the importance of social distancing.

7. As with adults, too much talk of the pandemic and watching or listening to the news too much may become overwhelming for them. Try to limit the amount of news that your children listen to, but be careful not to block them from it entirely. They will still hear about the pandemic from friends of from school, and if they feel that it is being kept a secret from them this is only likely to make them feel more scared.

8. Answer any questions that they have as openly and honestly as possible and remind them that you are there to support them and to keep them safe.