Childline 0800 11 11
How are you feeling? Are you missing your friends and the teachers at school? We miss you! Remember, it is ok to not feel ok right now. There are many adults waiting to help you if that is the case. Your family and your teachers are here to help. You just have to ask!
Childline is an amazing service for you and is there to keep you safe. Their staff are trained to listen to all of your worries, no matter how small. It takes great bravery to share your worries with anyone, so watch the video above as this will hopefully make you feel much better about sharing your thoughts and feelings.
There are many different worries for our children and no worry is easy to cope with on your own. Remember, you can always contact your teachers via the school website comments (only the teachers can see this) and your parents are there to listen.
Coronavirus
Talk of coronavirus COVID-19 is everywhere, from the front page of all the papers to our tv screens and talk at home. Many adults are wondering how to bring up the epidemic in a way that will be reassuring and not make you more worried than you already may be. Here are some things to think about:
- Don’t be afraid to discuss the coronavirus with your family. Most children will have already heard about the virus or seen people wearing face masks, so your parents will not mind you talking about it. Not talking about something can actually makes you worry more. Your parents will help you feel more informed and get fact-based information for you, which is more reassuring than whatever you may hear from friends or on the news. You can also share your worries with your class teacher or Ms Lynton through the comments on this page.
- Ask lots of questions, in fact write them down and get them out on paper! Your parent will try to answer your questions and do their best to answer honestly and clearly. It’s okay if they cannot answer everything; just making sure you have time with your parents to share your worries is what matters.
- Share what you already know. Tell your parent or teacher anything you may have heard about the coronavirus, and how it makes you feel. Give your parent lots of time to answer your questions. You need to remember that this is something new for everyone in your family, even for the teachers. Your goal is to share your worries!
- Share your worries. If you hear about the coronavirus on the news it may be enough to make you seriously worry that you will catch it. It’s helpful to know how rare the coronavirus actually is (the flu is much more common) and that children actually seem to have milder symptoms.
- Focus on what you’re doing to stay safe. It is important for you to feel empowered by knowing what you are doing to stay safe! We know that the coronavirus is transmitted mostly by coughing and touching surfaces. You have been thoroughly washing your hands as the primary means of staying healthy. Remember you are taking care of yourself by washing your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds (or the length of two “Happy Birthday” songs) when you come in from outside, before you eat, and after blowing your nose, coughing, sneezing or using the bathroom.
- Stick to routine. School closures have made this a little harder than usual. Make sure you are keeping yourself busy by completing the work set by your class teachers and taking part in activities such as #PEwithJoe on Youtube. Keeping patterns in your day is important, with regular mealtimes and bedtimes are an essential part of keeping you happy and healthy. So no late night gaming!
- Keep talking. You can continue to stay calm and updated as the weeks go by, by simply talking to your family more. You can say, ‘Mum/Dad/Auntie/Uncle, I know you don’t have the answers to everything right now, but will let you let me know when you have the answer to my questions soon.’ Your parents or your teachers will do all they can to help you deal with your worries and answer your questions, so keep talking!
Coronavirus may not be your only worry. That’s ok! Whatever your worries are you can contact Childline, if you find it tricky to speak with your parents or the teachers.
Find out how Childline can help and what happens when you do ring them to share your worries, when you feel like noone else has the answers.
Contact Childline free on 0800 1111 or get confidential advice online: https://www.childline.org.uk/get-support