Supporting Well-Being during the COVID-19 Crisis

Supporting Children

Below are a few resources for connecting with your children
in the midst of changes associated with COVID-19.

Sesame Street “Caring for Each Other”
Your favorite monsters have videos and tips for
talking with children about COVID-19. There are
also downloadable articles and activities for finding
a “new normal” during the current situation.

Zero to Three Tips for Families
This webpage offers tips for families including
age-appropriate responses to common questions,
a guide to self-care, and activities for young
children experiencing social distancing.

Calm’s “Take a Deep Breath”
This webpage features offers a section of child
and youth specific audio meditations

“How to Talk with Kids about the Novel Coronavirus”
This article features an interview with UW Professor
of Psychology Dr. Lynn Fainsilber Katz.

Parenting During a Pandemic
In this podcast, Dr. Kaiser Greenland shares practical
tips for mindfulness for all age groups and ways parents
can support each other.

BrainPop COVID-19 Cartoon
This 4-minute video helps elementary school aged children understand COVID-19.

UW Center for Philosophy for Children helps families explore ‘big questions’ around COVID-19
Free materials to help families broach big questions and feelings that may be surfacing as children experience the current realities of sickness and isolation.

Executive Function Tips in the Time of COVID-19
In response to these abnormal times, Marydee Sklar
from Executive Functioning Success put together a
video and blog post with EF tips to help parents and children.

Mindful Parenting During COVID-19
Dr. Liliana Lengua shares mindfulness practices that can be used in every-day interactions between parents and children to enhance parents’ effectiveness and relationships with their children.

CCFW Audio Practices

These recordings guide you through practices to navigate stress and
tap into your internal resources for staying resilient.

Staying Grounded: +2 Breathing

Staying Grounded: Tuning into the Senses

For Relaxation: Be in the Pause Breathing

For Relaxation: A 5-minute Stress Check

For Restful Sleep:
Progressive Muscle Relaxation

For Connecting with Common Humanity

Additional Resources

Practices and articles from some of our colleagues and other
experts in the field of resilience and well-being.

Calm’s “Take a Deep Breath”
A collection of guided audio meditations,
music playlists, soundscapes, and yoga
videos for mindfulness, stress, and sleep.

Being Resilient During Coronavirus
Dr. Rick Hanson offers a 6-minute video on
coping during COVID-19 and a 4-minute “Meditation
for Feeling as Safe as You Reasonably Can”.

Healthy Minds Program
The Center for Healthy Minds has made their
new mindfulness program available for free.

Trauma-Sensitive Yoga
The Center for Trauma Sensitive Yoga offers
free online sessions; many in multiple languages.

“A Cough and Our Heart Stops: Coping with
Coronavirus Anxiety and Fears”
Co-written by Michele Bedard-Gilligan PhD,
Emma PeConga, and Lori Zoellner PhD, in
The Seattle Times.

“How to Stay Resilient and Mentally Healthy
During the Coronavirus Outbreak”
WBUR’s On Point features an interview with
Dr. Jonathan Kanter, Director of the UW Center for
the Science of Social Connection.

“A Path to Resilience in the Face of COVID-19”
Anxious in these uncertain times? Scientifically-backed skills from researchers at Seattle Children’s and designed by Artefact Group can help you build resilience. Try them, share them, and know that we are all in this together.

JED’s Coronavirus Mental Health Resource Guide
Explore a compilation of resources and tips, compiled by The Jed Foundation, that may be helpful to you during this time.

The full report: “Impacts of the COVID pandemic on parents and young children in 2021” by Best Start for Kids
More than 7,000 parents and caregivers with young children across King County participated in the survey and shared their stories on how the COVID pandemic has impacted wide-ranging parts of their lives, including health and emotional well-being, childcare, experiences with schooling, family relationships, and economic challenges and meeting basic needs.

“How to Help Families and Staff Build Resilience During the COVID-19 Outbreak”
What can we do to build up and strengthen resilience during the COVID-19 outbreak? How can we build resilience to plan ahead for future times of crisis? This resource, with practical suggestions, presents three science-based ways that we can help tip the resilience scale for families and program staff.

“How to Support Children (and Yourself) During the COVID-19 Outbreak”
Even during this uncertain time, it’s a sure thing that our children are still learning, growing, and developing. But, supporting a child’s healthy development can be simple and free! (And, it may even help relieve your stress.)

“Building Responsive Relationships Remotely”
Center on the Developing Child reached out to care providers and others on the frontline of the early childhood development field to learn how they are building relationships with families from afar. Here are some tips they provided that may help you navigate remote interactions during this time.