NEW CHILDREN’S STORY BOOK
A new story book that aims to help children understand and come to terms with COVID-19 has been produced by a collaboration of more than 50 organizations working in the humanitarian sector, including the WHO, UN, Red Cross and Save the Children.
With the help of a fantasy creature, Ario, “My Hero is You, How kids can fight COVID- 19!” explains how children can protect themselves, their families and friends and how to manage difficult emotions.
The book is aimed primarily at children aged 6-11 years.
During the early stages of the project, more than 1,700 children, parents, caregivers and teachers from around the world shared how they were coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. The input was invaluable to script writer and illustrator Helen Patuck and the project team in making sure that the story and its messages resonated with children from different backgrounds and continents.
In order to reach as many children as possible, the book will be widely translated, with six language versions released today and more than 30 others in the pipeline. It is being released as both an online product and audio book.
Download the book here
KEEP YOUR KIDS SAFE ONLINE
If your family is stuck at home during the coronavirus disease outbreak, it’s likely your children are spending a lot more time online. How can you maximize the benefit, while minimizing the potential harm?
1. Open communication. Have an honest dialogue with your children about who they communicate with and how. Make sure they understand the value of kind and supportive interactions and that mean, discriminatory or inappropriate contact is never acceptable. If your children experience any of these, encourage them to tell you or a trusted adult immediately.
2. Technology to protect them. Check that your child’s device is running the latest software and antivirus programs, and that privacy settings are on. Keep webcams covered when not in use. For younger children, tools such as parental controls, including safe search, can help keep online experiences positive.
3. Spend time with them online. Sit with your child to identify age appropriate apps, games and other online entertainment and have fun.
4. Let them have fun and express themselves. Encourage your child to take advantage of online exercise videos for kids and video games that require physical movement.
Source: Inter-Agency Standing Committee
RISKS WITH “BACK TO DAYCARE?”
Should I send my kid back to day care? To keep our sanity as parents, we may have to develop a new level of comfort with a certain level of risk. Loosening our social distancing restrictions and rejoining the outside world feels scary. If you’re a parent reading this, you probably need childcare.
Let us address every parent’s primary concern: Currently, early data shows that over 90 per cent of pediatric cases are asymptomatic, mild, or moderate. Serious cases of COVID-19 are rare in children, and cases of MIS-C are rarer still.
Of course, if your child has a health condition—a chronic heart or lung issue, or if they just went through chemotherapy—it changes the equation. But not all chronic conditions create increased risk. Check with your doctor to help ease your mind.
As you consider your options for childcare, ask yourself and your family these questions:
- What are my family’s health risks?
- What does the epidemiological situation look like where we live?
- What steps are providers taking?
Like a lot of other families, we’re going to have to figure out how to tolerate a little more risk, scrape off all this tape, and put together something new.
Source: UNICEF
