LOUISVILLE, Ky. — As more and more places reopen, health officials are advising us to social distance and stay six feet apart. It takes some extra thought to do, but it’s a concept most adults can understand.
But it’s a little more difficult for kids.
This is normally a time of year when kids would be out playing at playgrounds but now parents have to explain to them why they can’t be sliding and swinging with their friends.
“We live in a condo so we used to rely really heavily on playgrounds so the fact that playgrounds are closed has been one of the more challenging aspects,” mom Nicholle Thieneman said.
Instead of playing at the playground, Thieneman and her three-year-old daughter Violet had a spot set up at Waterfront Park to draw with chalk, wave at the boats passing by, and scootering around.
Thieneman has had to explain to Violet why things are different now, and why they have to give people space.
“At first it was stressful to go out cause kids run up to strangers and say, ‘hi, how are you,’” Thieneman said.
It’s a conversation many parents and caregivers have had with their kids.
Nicole Allender brought her three-year-old nephew Eli Smith to Waterfront Park Thursday to get some time outside.
“We’ve just really tried to teach him to be really careful going up to people, we don’t want to scare them,” Allender said.
When it comes to distancing or wearing a mask outside, sometimes kids will have questions.
“He does ask why, and we just tell him it’s to be safe,” Allender said.
Allender said Eli thinks wearing a mask is fun and makes him feel like a super hero. Thieneman said Violet has a mask with dinosaurs on it and she practices putting it on.
Norton child psychiatrist Dr. Felissa Goldstein says those conversations can be made easier with demonstrations.
“Anything you can do to show them what you want them to do is a great way to help teach them any concept actually,” Dr. Goldstein said.
For example, Dr. Goldstein says give your child a hula hoop or have them spread their arms straight out to either side to give them a distance marker for how far they must be away from people.
“I think we have to let our kids know that this is serious, and this isn’t a joke but that you can teach them that without them becoming terrified or full of anxiety,” Dr. Goldstein said.
But Dr. Goldstein also says kids are resilient and they will take a lot of information as a new normal.
Treating the situation as “normal” has been helpful for Thieneman and Violet as they spend their days off the playground.
“Mostly it’s been treated with a light heart which I think is the important thing for kids. If you treat everything with a light heart then they don’t see it as anything other than, oh it’s just a new normal,” Thieneman said.
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