Helpful Articles

Image by Yevgenia Watts, artist

How to do a Stress Relief Breath

The Stress Relief Breath (SRB) is a simple and powerful tool to use when in a stressful moment. Watch this video with Aimee Clark to learn how to use this beneficial breathing technique.

COVID Kids:
Joy's Story of Coping in a Difficult Time

by Nanci Monaco & Mark Schachter | Illustrated by Chiarra Corradetti

Reading a story helps children to relate to the various emotions and actions described in the book and to express what they are feeling. This is a story of resilience and personal reflection, told from the perspective of Joy, a child who is trying to cope and adjust to all the ways life has changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors, both child psychologist in Western New York, include a guide and a website to help parent's and teachers explore fear, coping, and resilience with children. Monaco is also an education professor at Buffalo State College.

Coronavirus: A Book for Children

by Elizabeth Jenner, Kate Wileon & Nia Roberts, Illustrated by Axel Scheffler

In this free e-book download, authors and illustrator from The Gruffalo worked with consultant Professor Graham Medley, two head teachers and a psychologist to portray an honest message about coronavirus, answer questions about quarantine, explain how the virus is contracted, and what happens if you get ill.

Photo via iHeart Radio

Talking to Our Kids About COVID-19

Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction Podcast | March 24, 2020

CNN’S chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, breaks down talking to our children about COVID-19 in a 10-minute podcast. This is part of a daily series designed to provide the information you need to keep you and your family safe and healthy.

Photo via Heather Anne World

Homeschooling is NOT the Same as Crisis Schooling: Advice During Coronavirus COVID -19 Shut Downs

by Heather Anne at Heather Anne World | March 23, 2020

Long time public school teacher and homeschool mom of 25 years offers encouragement and words of reality for those who were thrown into schooling kids at home due to the coronavirus COVID-19 shut downs.

Photo via Fast Company

3 Smart Ways to Help Kids Learn Online During the COVID-19 Pandemic

by Rebecca Dore at Fast Company | March 20, 2020

As families everywhere adjust to social distancing measures such as closed schools, childcare centers, workplaces, and more, parents are grappling with questions regarding their kids’ use of technology. Rebecca Dore, an expert on children and media, offers some tips for how to make the most of screen time for kids who are cooped up at home.

Photo via New York Times

Deciding How Much Distance You Should Keep

by Tara Parker-Pope at New York Times | March 19, 2020

This article from the New York Times breaks down 3 similar terms - social distancing, shelter-in-place, self-monitoring and self-quarantine - and explains when and how to do each.

Photo via ZERO to THREE

Answering Your Young Child’s Questions About Coronavirus

by Julia Yeary at ZERO to THREE | March 16, 2020

Age-appropriate responses to common questions a toddler might have about coronavirus.

Photo via TIME

The Secret to Keeping Your Kids Happy, Busy and Learning if Their School Closes Due to Coronavirus

by Susie Allison at TIME | March 15, 2020

The widespread school closures have sent a ripple effect into parent communities as many scramble to find ways to smoothly transition kids into at-home life. The following article talks about the secret to being successful in the learning environment at home: make a routine.

Photo via Intermountain Healthcare

Coronavirus (COVID-19):
How to Talk to Your Child

by Jennifer Shroff Pendley with Nemours

Tips from the Nemours Foundation on managing a conversation with children about coronavirus.

3 Steps to Help Kids Handle
Anxiety About Coronavirus

by Alissa Marquess at Bounceback Parenting | 03/11/2020

The steps below are designed to help your child find a sense of personal power in their situation. Also check out Alissa's follow-up post on how to apply these steps to yourself.

1. Check in with how they’re feeling. Keep it simple. Just ask and then stop talking to give them a chance to respond.
2. Listen and acknowledge. Listening without trying to fix helps expand your child’s feeling of self trust and validity.
3. Follow up with questions that invite a feeling of capability and resourcefulness.

The Great Realisation

Music by Katie Phillips | Sound Design by Sam Gee

Probably Tomfoolery is a YouTube channel that creates "simple poems for complicated times." In his latest video, he tells a poetic bedtime story of how coronavirus started, and why hindsight's 2020.