Are you trying to get your child to wear a mask but having no luck? Does your child keep taking their mask off? Or are your children afraid of wearing them?
Wearing a mask has become a new type of norm for many, however I must admit it’s going to take some getting used to even for adults. In this article I am going to share with you some tips for encouraging children to wear their masks and most importantly; keep them on.
1. Make Sure They Are Comfortable.
This sounds really simple but make sure the mask is the correct size for the wearer. Too big and the mask will keep slipping off. Too small and once again the mask will either rise up or slip down.
If the elastic is too short, then this will also be very uncomfortable for the wearer. If your child doesn’t like the elastic behind their ears there are adapters which sit behind the head as well as other styles of masks.
Children’s sized masks are also available.
2. Practise Wearing Them.
Don’t just wear the mask when going out. A lot of children haven’t gone very far over the past few months, so going back out into society is going to be scary, especially because people are going to be acting and looking different with their masks and social distancing.
Therefore, on top of this we don’t want to add another new experience for them.
Practise wearing a mask at home for a short time. This will ensure that the mask fits and children can get used to the feeling of having something cover their face.
3. Child Friendly Style.
We all know how children can be when it comes to their style. They will only wear something covered in dinosaurs or unicorns or coloured pink. Treat the mask as an extension of their wardrobe and make them personal.
Photo by August de Richelieu from Pexels
There are currently lots of child friendly designs available on the market, however if they come in a bit pricey, why not design your own? If you are very talented you could make your own or you could buy some fabric pens and colour in some plan masks.
4. Make it a Game.
A lot of younger children will be more willing to wear a mask if it is turned into a game. If you are designing your own masks maybe you could draw on an animal nose and mouth, a silly expression, or a superhero badge?
5. Explain Why.
Children are stronger and clever than we give them credit for. Tell them why we need to wear masks. We need to protect each other from this virus going around.
Make it their mission to help protect their families and friends. Children love to be given responsibility for something; it makes them feel important.
I hope these simple tips help to encourage your children to feel more comfortable when wearing their masks. Let me know if you have any other tips.
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