Have the Children Practice Wearing Masks at Home.
You’ve probably already introduced your kids to wearing masks. (And they probably hate it because we all hate it, but you explained why they should wear it , etc.) Most preschoolers and older sometimes wear masks here or there – when you take them for the horn ice cream or during the morning walk to the playground . But if your kids return to class or even a small class this fall, they will have to get used to wearing masks for longer indoors. And it’s time to start practicing at home.
If you send your kids to have fun on their first day of school, and they’ve worn the mask for the longest time, just 10-15 minutes in a row, they’ll be in a world of pain by mid-morning. No one wants to wear a mask for most of a 6 or 7 hour school day, but it will be a little easier if they have at least some experience with extended wear.
So, if you haven’t done so already, now is a good time to familiarize your kids with your masks. One way to get started? Associate wearing a mask with screen time. Do they want to watch a 30 minute show? It’s good if you practice wearing a mask all the time! Want to play Minecraft with your friends for an hour? Of course, take the mask!
Kids are more likely to want to spend more time in front of the screen than they do not want to wear a mask, so this is a good place to start. Of course, they should get used to wearing it during off-screen activities as well. So when they are used to wearing it while watching TV or a tablet, add other “mask times” throughout the day, such as when you play a board game together after dinner or when you read to them before bed (you can encourage them too by wearing one).
While they are wearing the mask, make sure they wear it properly – covering their nose and mouth – and fiddle with it as little as possible. If they touch the front or remove it to adjust, advise them to wash their hands. Adequate hand washing can help us realize that once the mask is on, we are not touching it. (Their teacher would be grateful if there was one less child, if he had to constantly correct this question.)
They don’t need to wear masks at home all day ahead of the start of the school year, but it would be a good idea to practice a little now so that they are less distracted by the discomfort of the mask. when they enter the school year, they will already look and feel radically different in many other ways.