As the pandemic grinds on, parents need to harness their creativity to help their kids cope, Elizabeth Tracey reports

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Kids are back in school in person now in many parts of the United States and the world, yet both they and their parents are still worried about activities and contagion risk, especially in children younger than 12 years of age and others not yet vaccinated. Aaron Milstone, a pediatric infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins, offers some words of encouragement.

Milstone: Kids are frustrated because they feel that things are being taken away from them. And I keep telling parents that parents are creative and resilient and we can find fun things for our kids to do, even in this pandemic. And we did that last year. So even in this fourth wave, even as we go through the winter, I mean parents really need to set a positive tone for their kids and say we can find fun and safe things for you to do. Put your mask on, get your vaccine, and if we’re smart we can continue to let kids enjoy the kind of day to day stuff and going back to school.  :28

Milstone says preparation is everything, including providing masks and backups to kids, helping kids strategize on ways to stay safe even if they’re among unmasked people, and being reassuring. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.