COVID-19 resources for you and your child
From social stories on the virus outbreak to hygiene tips and websites and services to help if your child is home from school or if your family is self-isolating; we’re gathering useful resources to help you and your family through the COVID-19 outbreak.
Keep checking back on this article as we’ll add to it as we find more useful info as the days progress. Also, it goes without saying that the situation regarding the COVID-19 is changing daily and it’s important to keep up with the latest news and recommendations from official sources to ensure that you are following the latest advice. To help you stay informed we’ve provided a set of government and health authority links at the end of this article.
Social Stories & explaining the virus to children
This social story from Little Puddins The Autism Educator is in a page by page format so you can include or exclude the most relevant information for your family. Download it here.
And here’s another simple social story from Aussie Autism Family
Easy Read Information Sheet
Here’s a set of information sheets setting out the key facts about the virus and what’s happening in Australia in plain simple language from the good folks The Growing Space.
The NDIS website also has a useful set of easy English talking points which may help conversations with young adults. You can download it here.
COVID-19 Chatboard
Two Way Street in South Australia focuses on working with adults and children who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC); or those with little or no speech. They have a brilliant blog post with tips about talking to your child a really useful aided language display board for AAC users. Click here to download the board and read the blog post ‘Talking to Kids about coronavirus here.
How to talk to your children about coronavirus – this article from ABC News contains some solid advice from a psychologist about talking to children about the outbreak.
Need some mental health support?
We love this graphic on managing Coronavirus anxiety (for both you and your child) from Blessing Manifesting
And the one below from the same Facebook page which focuses on the broader topic of self-care and mental health for kids is also really lovely.
Other useful info & resources
This video from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on hand-washing and hygiene is concise and easy to follow.
Another video from the CDC on ways to stop the spread of germs is also factual and easy to follow.
As we all now know, the use of hand santiser is an important tool in staying healthy and germ-free. Here’s a primer from Popular Science on why it’s important plus there’s a useful guide to making your own if the stores are empty
Hand washing song from The Wiggles!
There’s a Wiggles song to help in any situation. Check out this little one on hand washing.
Take a look at the video below for a simple, easy to put together activity you can do with you child that demonstrates how hand washing helps to fight germs
If you need a hand-washing poster here are two options that you can download for free from Teachers Pay Teachers. Just click on each image below to go to the download page.
Hand-washing with Core Vocabulary
The two videos below are great for older kids. The first covers social distancing and the second is a broader look at the outbreak.
Learning and activity resources if your child is off school
There are currently hundreds of companies offering free subscriptions and resources for parents and their children due to schools closing. This website – amazingeducationalresources.com is doing a fantastic job of keeping up to date with everything that is available and the list is being updated every few hours! The resources are quite US focused but it’s still a vast list so you should be able to find something appropriate for your child or something that you can adapt at least!
How about this for a great idea; daily art lessons on You Tube!
A great list of screen free activities from Pobble
The school day can seem very long when school is happening at home! If you’re worried about structure and how to bring some order to your day then this great daily schedule could a good place to start. (c) to Jessica McHale Photography
How about an excursion from the comfort of your very own living room? Here’s a list of 12 museums that offer virtual tours you can take from home.
Scholastic Learn at Home provides 20 days’ worth of active learning journeys designed to reinforce and sustain educational opportunities for those students who are unable to attend school. The day-by-day projects to keep kids reading, thinking, and growing include opportunities for kids to go on virtual field trips, meet best-selling authors and dig into topics they love.
www.scholastic.com/learnathome
Self-isolating doesn’t mean that you can’t get out into nature and there’s so much to learn about in the great outdoors. Why not challenge yourself to work through this lovely list from Raising Wildflower Kids?
How did we not know about this before! Storyline is the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s award-winning children’s literacy website which streams videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations. Readers include Viola Davis, Chris Pine, Lily Tomlin, Kevin Costner, Annette Bening, James Earl Jones, Betty White and dozens more. Love!
Official sources of information
NDIS FAQs – the latest updates from the NDIS
ABC Coronacast –Coronacast is a daily podcast published by the ABC Radio that helps to answer your questions about coronavirus or COVID-19. It breaks down the latest news and research to help you understand how the world is living through an epidemic.
Additionally the ABC has compiled more information and resources on their website. Visit https://www.abc.net.au/news/story-streams/coronavirus/.
Australian Department of Health – www.health.gov.au/health-topics/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov for alerts and updates. and www.health.gov.au/resources/collections/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-resources for fact sheets
World Health Organisation –The World Health Organisation has created a website which outlines how to protect yourself, travel advice, situational reports, videoes and other information and resources. Visitwww.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
State Government updates:
ACT: https://www.health.act.gov.au/public-health-alert/updated-information-about-covid-19
NSW: www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Pages/novel-coronavirus.aspx
QLD: https://www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19
