Helping children cope during the pandemic

Helping children cope during pandemic Experts describe ways to help kids cope with the stress of the pandemic. Alesia Fieldberg reports.

Calgary — Children are not immune to the stresses involved in these uncertain times and experts say there are some things you can do to support kids through them.

Acknowledging feelings and working through them can help children control them.

“It’s okay to be scared, it’s okay to be sad, it’s okay to be happy, it’s okay to not care,” said Nicole Libin, certified mindfullness educator.

She explained that getting kids to personify their feelings by drawing, naming and describing them can be helpful.

“There’s that sense of, 'This emotion isn’t me it’s just visiting me for awhile,'" Libin said.

For kids with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), maintaining a schedule is especially important.

“Kids with ADHD love to see what’s coming up next,” said Emma Climie, child psychologist with Werklund School of Education.

“So if you have a schedule you can say, 'We’re working on math for the next 15 minutes, then it’s physical activity time and we’re going to go for a walk.'"

She explains physically writing the schedule down can make a difference.

For many children, being part of planning their day can help too.

Resources for parents