Coronavirus Anxiety in Kids – Help Children to Understand What’s Going On
We’re all going through a difficult and strange time and for children this can mean worry, fear and sleepless nights. New research reveals that nearly two thirds of adults are currently seeking help and practical advice during self isolation. But what can we do to help kids understand Coronavirus? Kid’s audio brand tonies® has partnered with children’s author Giles Paley-Phillips to create an informative, reassuring audiobook about the pandemic.
Free Audiobook to Help Parents Explain Coronavirus to Kids in Liverpool
Studies show that 48% of kids feel sad to be apart from their friends now schools in the UK are closed, with 36% of children feeling worried during this uncertain time.
If you think your children are feeling anxious or worried at home, tonies® have created a free and simple way to help them and reduce levels of anxiety.
A free audiobook which explains the global pandemic, written and narrated by award winning children’s author Giles Paley-Phillips, has been launched online today. It is hoped that the story, commissioned by kids’ audio brand tonies®, will be a resource to help parents who are struggling to find the right words to discuss this difficult topic and encourage open parent-child conversation around COVID-19.
Entitled In This Together, the story is written in rhyme and tells the tale of Rosie, a seven-year-old who initially believes that her school being closed is an extended holiday. Rosie’s mum and dad are faced with the tricky task of explaining why she’s not in school due to the ‘microscopic bug’, why she’s not able to see her friends and how they can protect her grandparents and the elderly.
Manon Sel, Country Manager, UK, at tonies® adds: “We hope our free audiobook will prove a helping hand for any parents struggling to explain to their children social distancing, school closures or hygiene, but most importantly that it communicates a message of hope and togetherness.”
It comes as new research shows that 65% of adults are seeking material that is helpful and practical in the wake of the pandemic, with Google trends revealing a sharp increase in searches for ‘How to explain coronavirus to kids’ over the last seven days. With more than a third (36%) of children admitting they are worried at this time, the audiobook covers what everyone is doing to help combat the spread of the virus – including unpacking the rules around social distancing and isolation with instructions on the two-metre rule and washing your hands.
Though the subject matter is one of seriousness and there are some challenging topics addressed in the narrative, the overall message is a positive one, with the book including ways to stay connected and inspired whilst at home. With new research revealing that nearly half (48%) of children are sad to be apart from their friends, Paley-Phillips also conveys the theme of togetherness, from communicating and learning via new technologies, to advice on supporting those who may need it most – and ending with a nod to the global community united in facing this issue.
Giles Paley-Phillips, author and narrator of the In This Together story, said: “Having two young sons myself, I know first-hand how difficult it can be to start having these conversations, especially when as adults, we’re still trying to understand and process this unprecedented crisis which is evolving on a daily basis. So, when tonies® approached me to write a story that could potentially help parents who are struggling to find those words, I felt compelled to say yes.”
An extract from In This together:
“A bug?” she said, what kind of bug
Like a beetle or a bee?
“No, this bug can be dangerous
It is one you cannot see.”
It is really, very tiny
You won’t see it with your eyes
you wouldn’t even know it’s there
it is microscopic size
So, we’ll have to stay indoors
and try to carry on
Life will be a quite different
until this bug has gone
tonies® is the world’s first audio player designed specifically for children. The children’s audiobook is available to download free at tonies.com/staying-in-tune. Those who already own a Toniebox can upload it onto a Creative-Tonie figure.
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