Your children have had to adapt in the age of coronavirus by learning how to social distance and remotely celebrating events like birthdays and graduations. Now, they’ll have to adjust to something new: how to go back to school. Across the nation, schools are reopening this fall, despite most Americans not wanting them to. Much like gyms, offices and restaurants, schools will have to reimagine how they look and function to best protect students, teachers and other staff from spreading or contracting coronavirus.
If you plan to send your child back to the classroom, you might be wondering what steps you can take to help keep your kids safe from COVID-19. We spoke with Dr. Bridget Boyd, an associate professor at Loyola University Medical Center who specializes in general pediatrics, to determine the best practices to keep your kids healthy as schools reopen.
As states ease social distancing restrictions, many businesses and services — including schools — are slowly reopening. According to Boyd, it’s up to each family to decide whether sending their children back to the classroom is the best and safest decision. “Kids who are in school get social-emotional skills, might get healthier meals and learn more math, reading and science. But if [families] have someone living at home who has immune system concerns or chronic health conditions, it might be up to the family to decide if it’s worth sending them [to school] and increasing the risk of infection.”
Washing your hands is a healthy habit that will prevent you from getting sick. For the sake of their health and others’, it’s essential to show your children how to effectively clean their hands. “The most important thing is to teach children to properly wash their hands,” Boyd said. “Make sure they’re using soap and water for at least 20 seconds.” And if you want to show your children why hand-washing is important, try this science experiment.