Free resources for parents to explain covid-19 to young children.
If you are a parent or carer that is struggling to explain the current circumstances to a child, we hope these free accessible e-books are a help.
With the constant changes occurring, there are many young people who are frightened and confused. The links below are aimed at parents explaining coronavirus to young children, with a view of opening discussion and alleviating some anxiety.
Coronavirus: A Book for Children (free download - pdf format)
Paddington and Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville has voiced the free audiobook (Soundcloud format) for its recently released free ebook for children about the coronavirus, illustrated by best-selling Gruffalo illustrator Axel Scheffler.
Professor Graham Medley, Professor of Infectious Disease Modelling at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: “This pandemic is changing children’s lives across the globe and will have a lasting impact on us all. Helping children understand what is going on is an important step in helping them cope and making them part of the story – this is something that we are all going through, not something being done to them. This book puts children IN the picture rather just watching it happen, and in a way that makes the scary parts easier to cope with.”
The book answers key questions in simple language appropriate for 5 to 9 year olds:
What is the coronavirus?
How do you catch the coronavirus?
What happens if you catch the coronavirus?
Why are people worried about catching the coronavirus?
Is there a cure for the coronavirus?
Why are some places we normally go to closed?
What can I do to help?
What’s going to happen next?
This book is accessible to every child and family and so the book is offered totally free of charge to anyone who wants to read it. However, the company suggests, at the back of the book, that families might make a donation to help our health service if they find the book useful: https://www.nhscharitiestogether.co.uk/.
Dave The Dog is Worried About Coronavirus (free download - pdf format)
A Southampton intensive care nurse has created a book to help reduce anxiety in children caused by the Coronavirus outbreak. The free online publication, entitled ‘Dave the Dog is worried about coronavirus’, has already been downloaded 15,000 times and has received plenty of positive feedback. The book was written by Molly Watts, a staff nurse on the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at Southampton Children’s Hospital, who penned it after a nightshift.
The book for children and aims to give information without fear. With everything that is going on at the moment; big changes to children’s routines and lots of stories on the news it can be a really scary time for them. This book aims to open up the conversation about coronavirus and some of the things they might be hearing about it and provide truthful information in a reassuring and child friendly manner.
We hope these free resources (links above) are helpful to parents and children alike.
From the OB Team xx
