The Coronavirus outbreak can be a difficult topic to address with children. This can be especially tough in families that may be vulnerable to anti-Asian or anti-immigrant discrimination that has been falsely equated with the outbreak, or for those where parents are out working essential jobs even while school and other activities have been shut down, a reality for many immigrant families.
To help your children understand and show support for New Americans who have been affected by this crisis, below we offer coloring pages and discussion starters to guide conversations with children as you are coloring. For more on each theme, we also provide links to related online stories. Finally, we encourage everyone to proudly post the finished products in your windows as a show of support. The activity allows children to learn how to take positive, affirming action in difficult times, and can help open up conversations about how to support our communities against both public health risks and xenophobia.
Please share your artwork with us by tagging @ilctr (Twitter) or @immigrantlearningcenter (Facebook) using hashtags #DrawingSupport and #IStandWithImmigrants.
We Stand With Our Immigrant Neighbors at Six Feet Apart!
Discussion starters:
- How can we show kindness to our neighbors, even when we can’t visit each other?
- Why is it important to support people who are new to our country and to our community?
- Do you understand why we must stay apart from other people right now?
You can help your children continue to absorb the message of building friendships under difficult circumstances by listening to Lotus and Feather, a Chinese tale about a young girl who makes a unique friend after a mysterious illness causes her to lose her voice.
We Support Immigrant Essential Workers
Discussion starters:
- Why do you think some people have to go to work right now but other people are staying home?
- What do you think about people who come to the U.S. from other countries so that they can work?
- How can we say “Thank you” to people when you can’t talk to them face to face?
Continue the lesson with stories and videos. We recommend Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch, a story that shows how a small act of kindness can change a life, and Daniel Tiger: Everyone’s Job is Important in Different Ways to help children understand why some certain workers are especially important at this moment in time.
We encourage families to display the completed coloring pages in their windows as a sign that your household stands with immigrants and essential workers during this difficult time.
More Resources
- We are in this together poster you can print and display to show support for Chinese-American community members
- Cultivate Kindness activities for promoting empathy and creating a sense of empowerment among children of all ages
- Lesson Plan: Why do people migrate?
- Anti-Asian Racism During Coronavirus
- How to respond to Coronavirus Racism by Teaching Tolerance
![We support our Chinese neighbors. We are in this together! [image of a boat]](https://www.ilctr.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/In-this-together-center-300x225.png "In this together center")