Nursery World - Coronavirus: How to talk to children about the second wave

The atmosphere in the country has changed with the second wave of COVID, but how has that affected the way practitioners are talking to children about the virus? And what approaches should they be taking? Gabriella Jozwiak finds out

Wash your hands. Cough into your arm. Stay 2m apart. These are messages early years staff have repeated since the first national coronavirus lockdown began in March 2020. Practitioners have carried children through this emergency on a cushion of cute virus cartoons, colourful painted rainbows and role-play games in which the heroes wear facemasks. They adapted social distancing guidelines to meet their cohort’s well-being and moved provision outdoors into fresh air. They kept up morale, and ensured children were safe and happy, despite the climate of fear.

But in the current national lockdown, the atmosphere is different. Childcare practitioners across the UK are reporting high anxiety levels as case numbers and the death toll soar – a situation described as ‘out of control’ by health secretary Matthew Hancock. The Government shut all schools at the beginning of January, but instructed early years settings to remain open, leaving practitioners questioning how safe they are.

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