Answering Children’s Difficult Questions
It’s natural for children to have many questions about COVID-19, the life changes it has brought, and when life will return to normal. Responding to these questions can be challenging, especially when we have few answers ourselves.
Questions seeking understanding are typically rooted in anxiety and big feelings. These questions must be met with empathy before the child is ready to process any usable information.
In this webinar, Conscious Discipline Certified Instructor Kim Jackson explains that there are two types of questions: questions seeking understanding and questions seeking information. Questions seeking understanding are typically rooted in anxiety and big feelings. These questions must be met with empathy before the child is ready to process any usable information. Kim outlines exactly how to answer these questions, then provides additional strategies for managing questions and anxiety during COVID-19.
Download and print your own Visual Safety Reminders for COVID-19 as a helpful visual aid for providing usable information to children.
Webinar Outline
- 00:01 Introduction of Certified Instructor Kim Jackson and topic
- 01:01 Understanding or information questions
- 01:38 Questions seeking understanding
- 02:56 First, offer understanding
- 04:10 Answer questions with visuals
- 05:22 Printable visual available
- 07:00 Give children an activity to help keep everyone safe
- 07:44 Questions seeking information
- 09:22 How to explain work time vs. play time
- 10:50 Limit TV time
- 12:10 Question Jar
- 14:13 Closing
Resource Mentions
- Printable: Visual Safety Reminders for COVID-19
- Printable: Managing Scared During COVID-19
- Printable: Masks and Gloves Story
- Printable: What Does Social Distancing Look Like?
- Printable: Visual Daily Schedule
Helpful Next Steps
Kim Jackson
Conscious Discipline Certified Instructor
Kim Jackson is a master teacher who is dedicated to providing the very best learning experiences possible for each child in her care. She graduated from Winthrop University with a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education. She has been teaching and coaching in the public schools of North and South Carolina for over 23 years and is a national trainer [...]
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