Being Little in the Time of COVID-19: A Special Storytime

Being Little in the Time of COVID-19 is a special storytime that I designed to provide a gentle opportunity to talk to children about all things COVID-19: keeping germs to ourselves, wearing a mask, social distancing, not seeing loved ones and friends, and other activities we cannot do the same these days. 

So often as adults our first instinct is to shelter children from the hard and scary things of this world, but that is doing them a huge disservice. Children deserve our full respect, and one of the best ways to respect children is by being honest with them in a developmentally-appropriate manner.

For some parents and caregivers who attended, this was a perfect way to bring up this subject with their children. I did advise that grown-ups viewed this storytime with their children, due to the subject manner. Afterwards, I received positive feedback from patrons who appreciated the storytime and opportunity to talk to their children about COVID-19. 

1. We started off reading Germs are Not for Sharing by Elizabeth Verdick. This was a nice way to open storytime, because it is important for children to understand where our germs come from, that we all have germs, and that they're not inherently bad, but that we should not share them with others.

2. In Germs are Not for Sharing, there is mention of singing a song while you wash your hands. So, we pretended to wash our hands while singing the Alphabet song.

3. Next, we read the ebook Doing My Part by Marta Drew. This is a fantastic ebook published by Montessori Material company Lovevery. The book features real photographs of a diverse family. Centered around a little girl, it shows her perspective on how hard it is to do things like stay socially distant from her grandparents. The repeating "Doing My Part" drives home the idea that by wearing masks and practicing other safe behavior during the pandemic, children are included a part of a larger effort to keep everyone safe! 

4. Montessori Assistant on Facebook has a wonderful song called "Even With My Mask On" which you can watch here. We sang this a few times through, without my mask, with my mask on, and once through changing the lyrics to "even with my face shield." Some kids even had their masks handy and put it on for this song, which was adorable.

5. The last short, but sweet, ebook that we read was Rainbows in Windows by Yumi. It gave us the opportunity to end storytime on a positive, uplifting note!

6. We sang one last song called "I've Got My Mask On," also written and sung by Montessori Assistant on Facebook. You can watch here.

Extending the Conversation at Home 

After storytime, I sent home this email to parents and caregivers with further resources: 

If you are struggling, I see you. 

I am right here with you. 

Young child are not meant to sit behind a screen all day. 

Grown-ups aren’t either. 

You cannot fix this for your child. 

You can sit with them in their hard feelings, and validate them. 

-The Workspace for Children 

The best advice I can give you, when talking with your child about this virus, is to sit with them in their hard feelings, and validate them.  Here are some talking points: 

• You really miss your friends (your teachers, your grandparents, etc.) I know that. 
• This is really hard. 
• I am right here with you. 
• I am listening. 
• Being on a computer can be so frustrating. 

When your child feels scared or sad, let them explore those feelings. Help them understand it is completely normal to feel that way.  Get on eye level and pause to listen to their feelings.  

Here are some talking points to help your children accept themselves, including all of their feelings. The world will be a better place because of it! 

• Do you want to tell me about it? 
• I hear you. You feel scared because... 
• I’m here and I love you. 
• What would help you feel safe? 
• Let’s take some brave breaths. 
• Instead of “You’re okay,” or “You’re fine,” try “I know this is scary for you. I get scared too sometimes. Let’s problem solve together.” 
• My arms are open. 
• I can see how sad you are feeling... 
• Sharing all of your feelings is so important. 
• I am right here with you. 
• I’m listening. 
• Tell me more about what’s going on. 

 

Further Resources 

• CDC’s Recommendations on Mask Wearing: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/about-face-coverings.html 
• More eBooks about COVID-19: https://nycdoe.libguides.com/COVID-19ebooks/free 

 

Grown-ups, I will leave you with one final thought to mediate on: 

You are making the best decisions that you can right now. There is no perfect solution. You are enough for your child right now and always. 

- The Work Space for Children 

 

Be well. Stay safe. Take care of your hearts and minds. Big hugs. 

Ms. April  

Edit 12/4/2020: 

Model Wearing a Mask

One thing I'd like to add about this storytime is that I wore my own mask on and off throughout the storytime. At the beginning of storytime, I wore it as a way to introduce children to what we were talking about. I emphasized that I'm still me, even with my ask on (as the song below goes). 

Emotions & Masks

I also spent some time talking about how to tell what people are feeling when they have their mask on. I put on my mask and made faces associated with emotions such as happy, surprised, sad, mad, etc. I asked the children to look closely at my eyes and watch how they changed with each emotion. I showed them my face with and without the mask on so they could compare. I have seen matching card sets for kids about mask emotions, and I think they're genius. I just think this is such an important social-emotional skill to have in the time of COVID-19!