Let’s talk masks!

Back in April of 2020, when the world began to panic, everything was shutting down. Toilet paper was a thing of the past and you could buy a single mask for $50 on the black market because no one could find any in stock. Well, back then I was lucky. I already had a box of Walgreen masks stored away with my first aid and medical equipment. Somehow, that box migrated to my mini van where it sat upfront by the driver’s seat. I’m not even sure how it got there, and I honestly remember thinking multiple times, “I need to bring that back into the house.” But I didn’t.

And it got STOLEN!

Yes. Someone stole my box of masks right out of my van. Nothing else of value was taken, just my super cute (but cheap) sunglasses. But honestly, there is a possibility I may find those sunglasses lost under a bed in my house and they were never really stolen.

The masks, however, were stolen. I like to think of some poor, desperate person walking past my soccer mom mini van and spotting the box of masks. Surely the situation they were in made the temptation too great. Surely they needed those masks more than me…

But I’m married to a cop, and the cynical side of me also sees those masks being sold off one at a time on the internet for a fortune.

Anyway, back then we didn’t know how long this pandemic would last. Fast forward a few months and you can buy masks easily at your favorite shopping venue: Walmart, Old Navy, Target, Amazon… masks are everywhere! They are required at school, restaurants, stores, even some cities have mandated masks.

Last Saturday morning while driving to work, my mind began to wander. The roads were clear and the world seemed peaceful, even though life hasn’t felt peaceful in quite some time. I began to wonder if I would be assigned to another COVID-19 patient to care for that day at the pediatric hospital where I work.

As I drove, I also wondered about the long term psychological effect of COVID-19 on children. With mandatory masks at school and the scary element of an unknown “sickness” they hear adults talk about; I like many of us, feared for their future. My eight-year-old nephew told his mom not too long ago that he was scared of masks. He was scared to wear one, and seeing people wear them scared him as well. I know my nephew isn’t alone in his fears. Many of us have asked, “what long term impact could this pandemic have on our little ones?”

If their is one thing my career has taught me, it’s the resilience of children. They really are remarkable when facing obstacles.

Several years ago I remember placing a nasogastric tube on a girl who was about 8 years old. A nasogastric tube is a tube inserted through the nose that goes all the way down the throat and into the stomach. Unfortunately the first attempt was unsuccessful and I had to torture her a second time, in order to get the tube placed. She cried and fought and I thought for sure I would be placed on the top of her hit list. I grabbed a teddy bear to give her as a prize for being brave, and when I came back to the room and handed it to her she smiled and asked me, “What’s your name again?” I responded telling her that my name is Elizabeth, and without hesitation she said, “Then I’m going to name this teddy bear Elizabeth!” She then told me I was one of her favorite nurses that had cared for her.

I don’t have all the answers on how our children will be effected, but I have hope that our children will emerge from this pandemic just fine. Maybe even stronger than before. But as parents, it is up to us to help them through it.

That morning in the car, I began to concoct a family lesson on how to teach my children about COVID-19 and why we are wearing masks. I wanted my children to start school understanding the “why’s” behind it and help them through any fear they may be feeling because of COVID-19.

The lesson exceeded my expectations! My girls giggled and laughed throughout the lesson, but they also expressed fear I hadn’t known was there related to the pandemic. I was surprised by the insightful questions they had. I loved how they were able to grasp the concept of COVID-19 and masks. The lesson went so well I thought I’d share it with all of you!

Below is my lesson plan on how to teach children about masks and COVID-19. It is geared toward elementary aged children, but even my three and a half year old did great with this lesson! Some of the discussions can be adapted for older kids. The lesson is made up of two object lessons with accompanying talking points. A printer friendly copy of the outline along with the printable picture cards are free!

Enjoy!

Lesson Plan: How to Teach Children about Masks and COVID-19

Objectives:

• Teach children the purpose of wearing masks
• Help children feel comfortable with masks
• Dispel any fear that may be associated with masks
• Help children understand how masks work

What you will need:

• One mask for each family member
• Spray bottle filled with water (set on spray and not stream)
• Printable Picture Cards (see printable- you can print them, or show them off of the computer screen)
• Small prize or treat (optional)

Introduction:

Explain that you will be practicing wearing masks during the lesson and ask each family member to put their mask on.

Optional: Tell the children that whoever keeps their mask on for the entire lesson will earn a small prize or treat.

Note: If any child has fear or anxiety associated with masks, do not force it. Have them hold their mask instead.

Discussion:

• Why do we wear masks?
  • Listen to the children’s answers and help expand on their answers.

Note: Do not just say “because of the sickness”. Teach the children that the sickness is called COVID-19. Giving the illness a name will help children understand the “unknown” and help them realize that all sickness isn’t bad.

• Explain that there are many different kinds of sicknesses we can catch that are different from COVID-19.
  • Ask the children if they remember a time they were sick in the past. Discuss how they felt (sore throat, stuffy nose, stomach ache, throwing up, etc.)
  • Explain that getting sick is not fun, but our bodies actually can become stronger by making it easier to fight off another sickness in the future. (for older children you can talk about our immune system).
  • What makes COVID-19 different than other sicknesses?
    • COVID-19 is making some people more sick than usual.
    • For younger children, telling them that it’s making people sicker may be all they need to hear. Below discusses going into more detail if needed.

Object Lesson #1: People often wear gear to protect themselves

Show the different Printable Picture Cards (free) one at a time. With each image, ask the children what the people are wearing to protect their bodies in each particular sport.

• Answers:
  • Soccer= Shin guards
  • Football= Helmet, shoulder pads, thigh pads, neck collar, mouth guard
  • Biking: Helmet
  • Rollerblading: Knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards, helmet

Talking points:

• Just like in these pictures of people wearing special equipment to protect their bodies, we are wearing masks when we go places to protect our bodies from COVID-19.

• The amazing thing about wearing a mask is that it doesn’t just protect our own bodies, but we are protecting other people around us from getting COVID-19 as well. We can help stop the spread of COVID-19!

• COVID-19 is spread when someone who has it coughs or sneezes. Tiny droplets come out of their mouths and noses. These droplets have germs that can get others sick. (Pretend to cough, as you do so, spray the bottle simultaneously by your mouth facing outward like all the droplets came out of you. Explain that when people cough the droplets and germs are even smaller so we can’t see them).

• When the person who is sick wears a mask, those droplets get trapped inside their mask.

• What if the sick person doesn’t wear a mask?

Answer: That’s why we all wear masks! If you are wearing a mask, then the droplets get trapped on the outside of your mask so you don’t breathe in the germs.

• If everyone is wearing a mask then it is like double protection.

• If you have members in your family that are at an increased risk for complications from COVID-19, add this to the discussion.

Note: Many children may express fear while discussing this. Let them talk about these fears. Reassure the children that if they wash their hands and wear their masks that they are protecting themselves and their family. Discuss how as a family you will do the best you can, but if your family ends up getting COVID-19, that you are a team and will get through it together.

You know your children and how much detail you can add to this discussion. Some children will be comfortable talking about how COVID-19 is hospitalizing some individuals and that some people have even passed away and returned to heaven because of it. For other children, that will be too much detail. Listen to your children’s concerns and let them guide the discussion.

Studies have shown that most children have mild to no symptoms; it’s okay to reassure your children with this information if needed.

Object Lesson #2: Droplets and germs, spray bottle fun!

Stand a few feet away from a child and spray their arm or any other bare spot on their body. Talk about how they got wet (and expect lots of giggles!)

Question: What If I sprayed you over your shirt, will you get wet?

• Spray the child’s shirt (note: the shirt will get wet, but have them lift their shirt to discover that their body stayed dry). Discuss with the children that this is how masks work.
• For children who are afraid of the mask, ask them to put it over a place on their body so you can spray it to see if it keeps them dry.
• Have fun with this! Let each child have a turn getting sprayed.

Talking points:

• Mask care: Now that the children have the visual of how masks work, it will make sense that there is a clean side that their face touches and a dirty side that faces outward. You can talk about folding their mask with the clean side inward when they are eating lunch at school and keeping the mask off the floor.
• COVID-19 can also be spread by touching areas that have the germs.

Question: What if someone with COVID-19 wiped their nose with their hand and then touched the table (Kids do well with visuals so pull down your mask and pretend to do this). You can also pretend to cough and spray a piece of furniture with the spray bottle).

Explain that we touch things all day (especially at school) and we don’t need to be afraid of touching things and getting sick, we just need to remember to sanitize and/or wash our hands.

• For older children:
  • Wearing a mask is part of being a good citizen. If you have no high-risk individuals in your family, you can explain that if your family got sick you would most likely be okay, but there is a possibility that you could spread it to someone who might get really sick from it. You can use the domino effect as an example. Explain that if they wear a mask, they are like the one domino out of the row that can stop the spread of the disease.

Note: Remember to let the kids ask questions and involve them in the discussion. The point of this lesson is to have fun and make COVID-19 less scary by understanding how the disease is spread and why we wear masks and keep our hands clean.

As the adult, keep your mood light hearted. If the child senses any strain or anxiety that you are having over the situation, then they are likely to feed off your stress as well.

*If you promised a small prize or treat for keeping masks on, remember to pass these out.

I hope your kids have fun with this lesson on how to teach children about masks and COVID-19! Please comment and let me know how your lesson went with your family.

Remember:

There is power in information, even for children

Need more resources to help answer children’s questions about COVID-19 and masks? Check out these websites:

The CDC has great information on how to talk to children about COVID-19: Center for Disease Control and Prevention

More information about children and masks is available from the World Health Organization: World Health Organization

Did you enjoy this post on how to teach children about masks and COVID-19? Please share it and spread the word!

If you like Unexpectedly Perfect click on the links below and follow us!

Unexpectedly Perfect on Facebook

Unexpectedly Perfect on Instagram