Wearing a face mask can be unfamiliar territory for children, but Guthrie County Public Health has some tips for helping adapt children to face mask usage.

Though the Adair-Casey/Guthrie Center, Panorama, and West Central Valley school districts are not requiring face masks to be worn in the school buildings, they are recommended, and ACGC is requiring them to be worn on school buses. These days parents or guardians may be faced with having to take children into a business that requires face masks, so Guthrie County Public Health Director Jotham Arber shares some advice on how to get kids adjusted, “I think the first and most obvious thing is to sit down with your child and explain to your child why it is that they have to wear a mask and the importance of the face mask and the protection it provides to their friends and their family especially with this virus going around. Sitting down with them and just having that conversation and letting them ask some questions about what good does it do and who does it help and why are we doing this and then answering those questions in very understandable ways.”

Arber says this can be explaining how face masks can help with having schools open and holding activities and sports, as well as how it protects loved ones like grandparents. You can find other tips in this story at raccoonvalleyradio.com.