What is a mask?
It is a face covering that covers your child’s nose and mouth. It can take many forms such as a cloth mask, a scarf, a ski style neck warmer, a bandana, or a disposable paper mask. If you have questions about when and where your child needs to wear a mask, please review this information from the NYC Department of Health.
Tips to Help Your Child Wear a Mask
Allow your child to choose the mask style that they like.
- Your child may be more interested in a mask that they chose.
- Allow your child the opportunity to touch the mask to determine which style or type they would like.
- Let them choose the color or pattern, if possible.
Explain to your child why they need to wear a mask.
- Be mindful of your child and how information will affect them. Talking about germs may make some kids more anxious.
- Look at photos of people wearing masks and talk about the masks.
- Consider using a social story. Here’s how to create a social story.
- Remember: you may need to talk about this multiple times.
Model mask wearing for your child.
- Anytime you as a parent or caregiver wear a mask, you are modeling and showing your child how to wear a mask.
- You can use images or videos as models of how to wear a mask.
- Practice putting a mask on dolls or stuffed animals.
- Try some art projects like coloring or drawing a picture of someone wearing a mask.
- Let your child look at themselves in the mirror with a mask on.
Make it fun!
- Decorate the mask. Think stickers, glitter, paint, or sequins.
- Make it a game.
- Superhero Game: Superheroes wear masks, so practice superhero poses in the mask.
- Funny Face Game: Practice making funny faces while wearing a mask. Guess what kind of funny face your child is making.
Create a routine around wearing the mask.
- Pick a specific place to store masks.
- Think about adding some reinforcement, such as a fun activity or a special treat after wearing a mask.
Additional Resources
Cloth Face Coverings for Children During COVID-19 (updated May 2021)
How to Get Your Kids Comfortable With Wearing Masks, Broken Down by Age
Tips for Helping Kids Wear Masks