Help Your Child Get Used to Wearing a Face Mask
“We love wearing face masks!” said no one ever.
However, wearing face coverings has been proven to decrease the spread of the novel Coronavirus and are one of our most significant tools in helping keep the people we love safe. It is important, even with the vaccine roll-out, that we not only continue to wear them for the foreseeable future, but help our children wear them correctly and keep them on while in public.
We’ve heard from parents and teachers that many children wear their masks but struggle to keep them on for lengths of time or have sensory and learning challenges that make wearing masks difficult. We’ve compiled some tips to help adults tackle this problem.
Explain why. Children need to know, and be reminded, that masks help prevent the spread of germs. Let them know that other people are wearing masks to keep them safe and healthy, and they are being kind by helping keep others well too!
Be consistent. Remind kids that they should wear their mask, covering their nose and mouth, just like you, when going to public places like the grocery store and school, or any place where it may be hard to maintain six feet apart from others.
Personalize it. Let your child find a few masks with cool designs or characters they like or help them decorate their own cloth masks by tie-dying or using fabric markers. (Surgical masks should not be decorated.)
Reward them. Set some fun goals or small rewards to help your child for good mask-wearing habits. Regardless, be sure to regularly praise them for wearing their masks, keeping it on for longer periods, and wearing it correctly.
Comfort is key. If they complain about the mask being uncomfortable, try to identify the problem. You can add buttons to a headband or use ribbon to help keep the mask off your child’s ears. If the mask is scratchy, try making your own mask using one of your child’s old comfy t-shirts.
Normalize masks. You can find lots of fun ways to make your child feel better about wearing a mask through play. Make small masks that your child can use during play for their dolls, stuffed animals and even action figures. Practice wearing them at home together. Draw a mask on a favorite book character.
Have extras. Cloth masks and face covering should be washed every day after wearing them, so it helps to have several that you can keep in rotation as well use as extras to keep in your child’s book bag. Kids are messy and may go through a couple each day at school as well as lose one.
Give them a break. We all need a break from time to time. When your child is having a truly difficult time, find a safe place for them to take a few breaths without their mask.
Always refer to the Centers for Disease Control for guidelines related to COVID-19 and the wearing of face masks. For instance, the CDC does not recommend masks for children ages two and younger.
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