Tips for helping your child navigate the COVID pandemic

HANOVER, Va. — Dr. Rhonda Randall at United Health Care shared four tips on helping kids navigate school during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Kaiser Foundation reports that more than 25% of high school students experienced worsening emotional and cognitive health since March of 2020, and more than 20% of parents with children ages five through 12 reported similar worsening conditions for their children.

"Even younger children, their parents, were reporting they were noting at a rate of one in five younger children were having higher rates of mental distress, this was leading up to the pandemic," said Randall.

She said the first thing you can do to help your child is share information.

"I think this generation is more willing to talk about it than prior generations and reducing that stigma."

Second, help them feel secure. Be reassuring about their safety and validate their feelings by emphasizing that it's okay to feel upset, scared, anxious, down and even angry.

Third, listen and watch.

"Certainly, if there's any concerns that the child is at risk of harming themselves or others," said Randall. “Particularly in immediate term, then it's time to seek help right away."

And the final tip is to help define boundaries and create regular routines.

Building positive feelings… is Building Better Minds.