Explaining Social Distancing To Children

As I said in my Live video, I am so excited for camp to start!  I cannot wait to see ALL of our campers’ SMILING faces!  It is going to kill me not to hug our little ones as they come through the door...but these are different times so I will resist.  I have thought about this recently and it dawned on me that our campers have been at home and not out in public interacting with anyone outside of their homes.  This is a whole new concept to them!  This is something that will be very difficult to explain to children.  The very idea of explaining “Social Distancing” to a 4 yr old or explaining to two 9 year old girls that they can’t braid each other’s hair breaks my heart.

So, as with anything in life as an adult, you learn to adapt.  How do we explain this to our children without filling them with anxiety and fear?

It’s a different world out there now and all of us as adults are trying to figure out how our own lives, social interactions, and get-togethers will change let alone how our jobs will need to adapt to the current situation.  But, here’s the thing.. It’s a moment in time.  It’s not forever.  It may seem like it will never end and things will always be like this BUT it will end and when it does, we will all be stronger as families and as human beings.  We will be OK.  So, while we are riding this wave or roller coaster, how do we prepare our children for something we have never experienced.  How do I explain to my 13 year old daughter that she cannot hug her friends or do “sleep overs” which to 13 yr old, this is torture. This something I know for me as a parent, will be difficult to communicate because I have so many unknowns.   So I started searching and  I found some information that I think will be very helpful in the coming days, weeks, maybe even months.  

Here is what I found on mother.ly.com.  These are 10 phrases that can help explain social distancing.

1. "We're all working together to fight this foe."

Remind them that they too, are a part of the solution.

2. "Here's what we can do."

Come up with things that you can do instead of focusing on what you can’t do.

3. "This is weird and different."

Acknowledge that things ARE different so that their feelings are validated.

4. "A lot of things are still the same."

Remind them that there are still some things that have not changed.  They can still watch their favorite movie, have their favorite snack,etc.

5. "You are safe."

6. "There are so many grown-ups working together to help."

Remind them that the adults are working really hard to help everyone.

7. "This stinks."

Acknowledge that this is a less than desirable situation,  We ALL think it is so it’s ok to agree.

8. "But also, there's a bright side."

List all of the things that they can do that they normally would not be able to.  (Ex: stay up later, more time on their electronics, movie days)

9. "We are all in this together."

Let them know that EVERYONE is doing the same thing (ex: their families, friends, teachers, team mates)

10. "We are taking this one day—sometimes even one hour—at a time."

Letting them know that this too will end is important.  It seems like” forever” to us, it must seem like eternity to them.

These are all phrases that can help us to “find the words” even when we have doubts, fears, and anxieties about the next phase in our lives and the lives of our friends and our families.

For our part, we continue to put activities and ideas on our facebook page and give parents resources and information as it comes to us.  We will do our best to keep your children looking toward the future and helping them SMILE everyday.  We will make it our goal to make this “moment’ in the lives of our campers, the BEST it can be by keeping them engaged and excited and letting them know that we cannot wait to see them again!

Wishing all of our campers and families good health in mind, body and spirit!

Sources:

Russell, Kaitlyn. “Motherly.” Motherly, www.mother.ly/.