The following resources offer tips for families including age-appropriate responses to common questions, a guide to self-care, and activities for young children experiencing social distancing.

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LATEST RESOURCES

All the Feels: Helping Young Children Cope with the Return to Child Care

Babies and toddlers may struggle with returning to child care settings. Here’s how adults can help.

Mask Up! Talking to Young Children about Wearing Masks

Getting your toddler aged 2 and up to wear a mask can be a challenge. We share our tips for keeping little ones safe.

Four Steps for Communicating Challenges With Your Coparent

Conflicts happen. Here are proven communication strategies that can help coparents navigate difficult conversations.

Baby Talks: Parent Coronavirus Questions Answered

Is it safe to leave home? A newly added Q&A illuminates how to approach venturing back outside.

What Comes Next: Back to Child Care Following Shelter-in-Place

Tips for transitioning back to child care after COVID-19.

Mindfulness Practices for Families

Use these mindfulness activities to find calm with the little ones.

Talking about the Coronavirus

Helping Your Toddler Cope with Grief and Death

Tips for navigating a difficult subject with your little one.

Baby Talks: Parent Coronavirus Questions Answered

ZERO TO THREE parenting experts address common parent questions and concerns during this challenging time.

Answering Your Young Child’s Questions About Coronavirus

Even if you’ve kept your toddler away from news about COVID-19 in the media or overhearing adult conversations, they are bound to have questions. Here are some age-appropriate responses to common questions.

Just For Kids: A Comic Exploring The New Coronavirus

NPR presents a comic developed from an interview with Tara Powell, Joy Osofsky, PhD, and Krystal Lewis on what kids might want to know about the Coronavirus.

Why are people wearing masks? Why are people covering their faces?

Read through tips to answer tough questions toddlers may ask about COVID-19.

Supporting Young Children Isolated Due to Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Learn more about common reactions in children when they are faced with stress and things you can do to help.

Our favorite books for families facing tough times

ZERO TO THREE experts share our favorite picture and activity books for supporting young children through stressful and traumatic situations, including titles created in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Ask Congress to Take the Next Step for Babies! Infant-toddler advocates know that the COVID-19 crisis will hit babies and their families particularly hard. Urge Congress to act now

Self-Care & Time at Home

Setting Limits

Try the Feel-See-Do method in response to metldowns and irrational insistence.

Sheltering in Place: An Emotional Rollercoaster

Learning to tend to our rising and falling emotions.

At-Home Activity Guide

With these activities and experiences at-the-ready, you can feel less stressed and more prepared!

Dr. Barbara Stroud presents COVID-19 Tips for Parents

A member of ZERO TO THREE’s Academy of Fellows, Dr. Stroud provides parents with information and skills to support their children’s emotional health and mental well-being, and build necessary skills of resilience.

Parenting During Coronavirus: You Are Enough

Managing expectations as a parent is key during stressful times.

Young Children at Home during the COVID-19 Outbreak: The Importance of Self-Care

Self-care is not selfish or indulgent—it’s how we keep ourselves well to ensure we are physically, emotionally, and mentally capable of being there for our young children.

First Things First: Parenting in the time of coronavirus and social distancing Families have lots of questions, so First Things First, an early childhood agency, reached out ZERO TO THREE’s parenting expert for her thoughts and advice for parents with babies, toddlers and preschoolers during this period of social distancing.

COVID-19: Advice for Caregivers of Young Children This infogram handout from experts at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center outlines common ways children react to stress, and ideas to help.

Staying Connected

Five Tips to Make the Most of Video Chats

Can’t visit the grandparent’s because of new rules or worries? Here are some tips for making the most of your next video chat.

Separated From Your Young Child?

Sheltering in place or self-quarantine frequently means being apart from our family, including our very young children. Those on our “front lines” in this fight–our medical personnel, our first responders, even our grocery store personnel—are making the very difficult choice of staying away, rather than risk infecting their little ones. While these days and weeks are filled with more questions than answers, there are still many ways for parents to keep their connection strong with their little ones.

Staying Connected While Separated from Your Young Child

Here are some additional ideas to keep the parent-child connection strong, even if you can’t be together with your child.

Sesame Street Resources

Our neighbors on Sesame Street offer these fun activities and guides to staying safe and healthy as part of their new Caring for Each Other initiate:

My Healthy Week!

Chart a schedule of the ways little ones can stay strong with this free printable.

How to Wash Your Hands

Share the video featuring Bebe to show the right way to stop the spread of germs, and have a child show you how they use soap, then water!

H is for Handwashing

Read this storybook to explore the ways that children across the world stay happy and healthy. Invite children to think about how the ways we wash our hands that may be different and similar to our friends in other places.