SPECIAL: Coronavirus family guide: Keeping kids connected (while apart)

By Rachel Buchholz, KIDS AND FAMILY Editor in Chief

Remember four weeks ago? We still ate at restaurants … just with a little space between us and our fellow diners. Kids still competed in sports … they just bumped elbows instead of shaking hands after the game. And trips to the playground—where kids played with friends, and parents hung out with neighbors—were perfectly fine … as long as we washed our hands afterward.

Well. Throw that playbook out the window.

The warnings about why we need to be taking social distancing seriously are starting to sink in for most people, and I’ve certainly noticed marked differences from just last week. Neighbors “chat” from six feet away. Walkers heading toward each other hug their side of the sidewalk, or even move into the empty streets. And parents have no embarrassment of yanking kids out of the way of passersby.

But now that we’re treating each other like zombies, how do we make sure that children don’t turn into ones as well? Maintaining relationships is super important for children, says Melissa Brymer of the UCLA / Duke University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress. “It supports their social emotional development and strengthens their social emotional skills,” she tells Nat Geo in an article about creative ways to keep kids connected.

It’s something more families are thinking about, especially through spring celebrations like Passover, Easter, and Ramadan. Nat Geo readers have engaged in video conferencing ordinary dinners as well as holiday get-togethers. Birthday cakes from afar. Even family games.

If true social distancing soon becomes the norm for everyone, just for a bit, maybe by this time next year we can celebrate our spring holidays surrounded by multitudes of friends and family—face to face.

What kinds of fun activities are you doing with your children to keep them connected? We want to hear from you!

Before you make homemade masks: Check out this Nat Geo story on the what experts say about the safety of various masks. Here's more on the thinking behind face mask use outdoors and a caution not to have a false sense of security if you use one.

Why can’t I go to Chuck E. Cheese? In a calm voice, New York Times science reporter Carl Zimmer answers recorded questions from kids, including how the idea of a virus was figured out by sciences, where the word coronavirus comes from (spoiler alert: Latin), and how viruses are spread. This episode of The Daily podcast is the dispassionate and weirdly reassuring (as possible) opposite of Contagion or The Hot Zone—and worth a half-hour listen. Alas, Zimmer explains to one disappointed boy, we can’t go to Chuck E. Cheese for a while.

Family discussion: When are things you see or read about not true? How can you tell? A deep desire to feel better during this pandemic has left many children and adults vulnerable to fables and misinformation online that they might want to believe. Nat Geo’s Natasha Daly has documented the rise of fake animal photos—and suggested a way your family could investigate to find out if the image or story is true. Here’s another take on how parents can help their kids sort fact from fiction.

The unicorns of the sea: Kids are obsessed with narwhals. But they are hard to find in their Arctic home. Here’s a way to watch them from home and learn more about them. Related: What are the sizes of six ocean animals and how do they compare to you? Measure and use these measurement conversions to find out.

We asked, you answered: Last week we asked you to tell us about activities you were doing with your kids to help keep them active and mentally healthy. Two of your suggestions: 1) taking the paint set outside to get positive vibes from nature (plus it’s far less messy!); and 2) helping older neighbors by weeding, picking up branches, and maybe even planting flowers. Read more crowdsourced activities here, then give us more ideas!

But wait, there’s more: Where is the highest mountain? Where was pizza invented? Where can I see the most stars? Young readers can travel the world from any room in the house with Little Kids First Big Book of Where, the latest book in the popular Nat Geo Kids First Big Book series.

Looking for more learning? We’ve got you covered. Whether you’re a parent at home or a teacher in the classroom, the brand-new NatGeo@Home hub is the place to go for resources across National Geographic for both older and younger children.

One last thing: How are things going? Take our survey to tell us what you’re most concerned about for your family and what would help you most from Nat Geo.

This newsletter was edited and curated by David Beard and Rachel Buchholz. Let us know if you have any tips, links, or ideas to make it better. Have a healthy and a sane (as possible) week ahead!