Tips & Tricks to Get Your Kids to Wear Their Masks!
Remember the days when your biggest problem was getting your child to eat their veggies? In a global pandemic spread primarily by respiratory transmission, masks have become important ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19. While there are debates surrounding which masks are best for youngsters, one of the most important keys is getting them to wear it at all. Different techniques will work on different personality types, but we’re offering a few helpful hints to get kids to keep those masks on. Check out our kids’ masks here for a great CDC-compliant, washable face covering!
1. Give them choice: Whether you allow them to pick out the pattern or type of mask, allow your child to have some say in the matter. When they have ownership in the decision making around masks, they are more likely to wear them. You may need to try out a few masks before you find the perfect fit and function, but it will be worth it when you can avoid mask battles.
2. Practice makes perfect: Come up with fun games to get your child acclimated to life with a mask on. Use an ordinary kitchen timer to slowly increase the number of minutes your little one keeps the mask on. They can set the timer and keep a chart with all of their goals and accomplishments. By the end of the week, celebrate how much progress your child has made.
3. Bedazzle it: Add personalization or decorations to the mask to make it a unique expression of your child’s inner artist. They can add stickers, draw animal faces with markers or even put silly moustaches on an otherwise plain face covering. You can practice with paper masks and even put them on a loved stuffed animal so that everyone is in on the fun.
4. It’s All About the Routine: Have wearing your mask be a part of every day. Just like with brushing their teeth and making their bed, the more they get into the habit of using face masks, the more it will become second nature. Keep a mask or two in different places (by the front door, in the backpack, in the car) just in case one gets lost or wet, and as a visual reminder of how important they are.
Above all else, it is important to model good behavior for little ones. If we do the right thing by wearing our masks & keeping socially distant, our kids will understand that they need to do the same. It’s amazing how adaptable and resilient young children are, and with a little positive thinking we can encourage them to find safer ways to learn, play and have fun.