Young Children’s Perception of the COVID-19 Home Stay

Background In March 2020, the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) resulted in lockdowns of schools and businesses alike across the United States. For working parents of preschool age children, the forced closure of child care centers created a unique situation where parents suddenly become the major source of daily care and education for their children. Objective The present study was conducted to provide new evidence concerning young children’s perceptions of the COVID-19 stay-at-home mandate as a way to reveal children’s understanding of the pandemic. Method Child and parent interviews were conducted via teleconference with their child’s regular preschool teacher in the spring of 2020. Narrative data were content analyzed using open and axial coding (Saldaña, The coding manual for qualitative researchers, Sage, 2016). Results The majority of parents reported providing their children with information on why they were home. Use of advanced language specifically referencing the coronavirus in conversation with their children was associated with more non-responding or children repeating their parent’s utterances verbatim. Preschoolers who were given more simplistic explanations (e.g., germs) could expand their responses indicating understanding (e.g., you will get sick, need to wash hands, wear a mask). When parents did not offer information, children generated their own meaning and interpretations, often citing erroneous ideas (e.g., people are sick because they ate rotten bananas), reflective of how young children make sense of their world. Conclusion These findings indicate that using simplistic and factual age-appropriate language enhances the likelihood that young children will understand and accurately perceive potentially life threatening situations.