CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- With children now out of school and other activities for the foreseeable future, parents may question what they should tell their children about the coronavirus pandemic.Dr. Louis Kraus, the chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at Rush University Medical Center, said children may be a little scared about what they're hearing about COVID-19.
"They've heard bits and pieces on the news. A lot of times, what you need to do as a parent is ask kids what they've heard, what they think is going on so you can calm them down," Dr. Kraus said.What information you give children, Dr. Kraus said, depends upon their ages. Younger children don't need to know much. Elementary school children need some "straightforward" information, but also that there are some things we need to do so that nobody gets sick, like washing their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds."I don't think it's worthwhile to frighten the kids. If somebody gets sick, then you're going to deal with that and explain it like any other illness," he said.Most importantly, Dr. Kraus said it's important for parents to "take a deep breath" and try not to impart their own anxiety onto their children.Children may become a bit stir crazy by being cooped up at home. That's why Dr. Kraus said it's important to do fun things with your children while they're home, including board games if you have any. He said you can also still go out for walks.Dr. Kraus also points out that the Centers for Disease Control has websites explaining the coronavirus to children and to adults.
