Recently coronavirus disease (Covid-19) brings with it feelings like anxiety, stress and uncertainty and they are felt especially strongly by children of all ages. Though all children deal with such emotions in different ways, if your child has been faced with school closures, cancelled events or separation from friends, they are going to need to feel loved and supported now more than ever.In an interview with UNICEF, Mandy Rich spoke to expert adolescent psychologist, best-selling author, monthly New York Times columnist and mother of two Dr Lisa Damour about how you can help create a sense of normalcy at home while navigating "the new (temporary) normal".

"Parents should have a calm, proactive conversation with their children about the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), and the important role children can play in keeping themselves healthy. Let them know that it is possible that [you or your children] might start to feel symptoms at some point, which are often very similar to the common cold or flu, and that they do not need to feel unduly frightened of this possibility," recommends Dr. Damour. parents should encourage their kids to let them know if they're not feeling well, or if they are feeling worried about the virus so that the parents can be of help.

Children need structure. Full stop. And what we’re all having to do, very quickly, is invent entirely new structures to get every one of us through our days," says Dr. Damour. With school closures come cancelled school plays, concerts, sports matches and activities that children are deeply disappointed about missing out on because of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). Dr. Damour’s number one piece of advice is to let them be sad. When it comes to processing difficult emotions, "take your cues from your child, and really think a lot about balancing talking about feelings with finding distractions, and allow distractions when kids need relief from feeling very upset.