Virus pandemics are a scary event, but they are a fact of life that many of us may experience at some point. Striking a balance between protecting children from unnecessary worry and giving children too much information is no easy task for adults. Childhood experts agree that the most important things that adults can do to help children through a virus pandemic are:

• Offer reassurance: Children need to know what a virus is, how they could catch it and why there are sudden changes to things they are familiar with (for example why people around them hold distance or wear masks, why kindergartens are closed, or why they cannot visit friends or family members as before).
• Model calmness: Calm caregivers raise calm children. During unprecedented events, adults need to acknowledge and process their own fears more than before. Take care of yourself in your own space, slow down, respectfully set limits to avoid feeling overworked and overwhelmed so that you can model calmness for others.
• Establish new routines: Structure, familiarity and routines are important for any child, but this is especially true for uncertain times. Keeping regular mealtimes and bedtimes and establishing new routines (for example video-chats with family members at scheduled hours) provide a predictable structure and relief from chaos.