“The world caught a cold.”
We are living through some unprecedented times.
For weeks and weeks now, the world as we know it has been turned upside down. And much as children are resilient and much better at us grownups at just getting on with things and adapting, I still can’t help but ponder how utterly strange these past couple of months have been. And wonder how children really think about how different life is now from just a few weeks back.
Trying to explain why things are the way they are to young children can be challenging, even just because there are so many new words to come to terms with at the moment.
Flattening the curve. Quarantine. Lockdown. Social distancing. This new normal of ours comes with many new terms.
And if you, like me, have found yourself wondering how you are going to explains to your young children why they can’t go to granny’s house just yet, or how come they can’t invite friends to their birthday party right now, this video is about to give you a helping hand.
Kim St. Lawrence has created and produced a video version of a children’s book about social distancing called Time to Come In, Bear, and she shared it on YouTube for families to access for free.
The sweet story follows a bunny who has to explain to a bear why they have to stay inside. “The world caught a cold,” the story begins. “You won’t get the germs if you just stay at home.” The animated narrative touches on many of the worries kids have right now, from how long this will last (“it isn’t forever, Bear . . . just for a time”) to why we can’t see our friends and grandparents (“you miss them, I know”). It also explains that heroes are hard at work to “make the world alright.”
And although the 90-second video probably won’t answer every question your little one might ask, it’s might still help them understand the current situation a bit better, and feel reassured this new normal is not our forever normal.
