Although wearing a face mask cannot completely prevent the spread of COVID-19, it has been proven that wearing masks can slow down the spread of the virus.
With this in mind, many facilities and organizations are now requiring masks and some Canadian provinces, such as Nova Scotia, have even made non-medical masks mandatory in indoor public spaces.
Wearing masks is not natural for most people, so it is not surprising that it is difficult for children. Nevertheless, aside from ensuring that a mask fits properly, there are a few simple things parents can do to get children used to the idea of wearing masks.
- Teach children how to properly wear a mask. Parents should help their children practice taking masks on and off, positioning masks properly, and not touching masks once they are in place. Remember that practice makes perfect.
- Get your child excited about the designs of their masks. Allow your child to choose the colors, designs, and styles. You can ask your child to provide their personal touches by decorating with fabric markers or stickers.
- Incorporate mask-wearing into “play”. Making it fun will help children develop a positive attitude toward mask-wearing. You can pretend to be doctors or nurses wearing masks and assessing teddy bears.
- Model mask-wearing. When children see their parents wearing masks, it will normalize the activity and more likely to do the same.
- Discuss with kids on why mask-wearing is important. If children understand why they are doing it, they are likely to do it.
- Keep masks organized and readily accessible. It is best to keep two containers by the front door – one for used masks and one for clean masks. This will make it easy for children to get a clean mask while going out and drop off a used one once they arrive home.
- Use name labels on masks. This will help children find their masks.
- Provide lanyards for their masks. In case your child is going to take a mask on and off frequently, having it on a lanyard will prevent it from being dropped on the ground or lost.
- Practice wearing masks for short periods and steadily increase the duration.
- Make mask-wearing during “screen time” mandatory. Try to introduce masks when your child is distracted and sitting still. A reward of screen time for using a mask is also a good incentive.
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Learn how to stay safe by enrolling in a mask fitting test which is a requirement for many workplaces and school admissions or the available masks for sale by visiting our face mask sale page.
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/face-masks-importance-battle-with-covid19
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200504-coronavirus-what-is-the-best-kind-of-face-mask
https://www.livescience.com/are-face-masks-effective-reducing-coronavirus-spread.html