How to make wearing a face mask fun for young children

Wearing a face mask has become a necessity, and for the time being, a part of everyday life, which is why it is essential to prepare your child ahead of time.

The official guidance from the government states that if your child is under the age of two, cannot put a face mask on themselves, or has a respiratory condition, then they don't need to wear a face covering.

All other children can wear one, but for those under the age of 11, it is not mandatory to wear a face covering on public transport, although you may prefer them to do so.

For adults face masks are mandatory in all shops, supermarkets, indoor shopping centres, banks, post offices, takeaways, transport hubs and on public transport.

At Sock-Ons, we have a wonderful range of Noordi® matching parent and child face masks, so your child will feel happy leaving the house knowing that they look just like you. These face masks are washable, reusable and have a broad flexible nose bridge which makes it easier to breathe and comfortable to wear.

Playful activities are a great way to prepare your child for wearing a face mask. We suggest introducing wearing a mask slowly for several days prior to leaving the house, as some children may be apprehensive about the experience.

Allow your child to ask questions about why they have to wear a face covering and explain in friendly, encouraging and simple language. In this way, wearing a face mask will become a normal part of their routine. 

Here are a few ideas to make wearing a face mask fun.

• Put a face mask on their favourite stuffed toy and act out a trip to the doctor/shops. Use lots of praise and encouraging words towards the toy for wearing their mask.
• For younger children, wear a mask with them for five then ten seconds at a time, and reward them with praise. Keep increasing the length of time they wear the mask until they can wear it for five or more minutes without taking it off. If you need to, you can use treats as encouragement, but make the reward clear before you start.
• Print out pictures of their favourite characters and draw masks together on them. You can do this activity whilst wearing a mask too, as this normalises wearing a face covering and provides a distraction, so they get used to wearing it for an  extended period.
• Create a superhero experience for your child and make the face mask apart of their costume. Young children will love being a superhero for the day.

Find out more about our range of face masks for children and adults here, we love these masks, and we hope you and your family do too.