How To Teach Your Young Child to Wear a Mask

As mask-wearing has become more and more part of our lives over the past 7 months, you may have realized that mask-wearing is something that requires adjustment. Different people have different reactions.

Perhaps you have felt like it's difficult to breathe. Perhaps you feel a bit irritable when you have to wear a mask. Maybe you sweat! I know it's something I've had to adjust to. And while I understand the reason for mask-wearing, I don't like it. I do it because I understand the consequences of not mask-wearing. Consequences could include getting the virus, not being allowed to enter a business, or in some cases being fined, depending on where you live.

Now imagine you're a kid who is having to adjust to wearing a mask. You don't really understand why you need to wear it and it doesn't feel good.

What do you do?

You throw that mask off like it's a hot potato!

Then the adult in your life gets upset and either tries to put it back on you or tells you to put it back on (depending on your age). Now the child is mad. You're frustrated. And you honestly don't know what to do.

After hearing so many of these stories, I decided to call my colleague, Chandler Schoonover, an award-winning preschool teacher in Weatherford, Texas and ask her if she'd thought about how to help kids wear masks. Of course she had!

In this episode Chandler shares all her best tips for helping children adjust to wearing a mask in the community and at school.

Here are some links to the resources Chandler discussed:

Emotions with Masks Activity: https://bit.ly/3knLkca

Wearing a Mask Social Story (multiple language): https://bit.ly/3dPa625

Seeing People Wearing Masks Social Story: https://bit.ly/2Tcfza1

Wearing a Mask to School Social Story: https://bit.ly/2HlKYUG