A DALGETY BAY mum has shared the fun ways she has explained coronavirus to her daughter to ease anxiety.

As adults, many of us have experienced worry in these recent weeks and it's no different for children – who are also learning how to deal with the effects of lockdown.

For Amy Solon, a qualified clinical hypnotherapist, she believes giving her children a little bit of information has gone a long way in helping them get back some control at this time.

She's thought of creative ways to help her four-year-old daughter, Sosi, understand the world we live in without overwhelming her and has shared these on her blog.

She told the Press: "Our children, just like the rest of us, are all coping as best they can under challenging circumstances.

"For my one-year-old, she is having the time of her life because daddy is at home and it's such a novelty to her.

"But for my eldest, it's totally different.

"She's not going to nursery, dancing, swimming or seeing her wider family and that's really sad!

"It was heartbreaking when she asked me when HE was going to go, meaning the virus.

"I think she's been coping really well but recently it's really started to get to her.

"Children are not stupid and they pick up and listen to everything!

"So the best thing to do is give them age-appropriate information which gives some logic to what's going on and, in turn, some control."

Amy's strategy for helping Sosi has been establishing what she already had learned at nursery.

Next, they gave the virus a name to make it less scary – it's known as "Mr Poo Poo Maganahead" in the Solon household!

This allowed the family to build a bit more on his character and Sosi's imagination so she could come to realise that she needed to stay away from people.

The character and stories have allowed Amy to explain the best way she can the world around Sosi and inject some fun while keeping her mind safe.

Amy, 39, said: "She had to go and get her immunisations this week at the hospital and I was worried that seeing staff in masks and equipment might be a bit scary for her.

"What we ended up doing was painting our faces explaining that this guy didn't like bright colours!

"We must have looked like eejits!

"But I think it was a positive thing to do, again giving her that bit of control.

"I didn’t account for her asking why she couldn’t see her Gran-P, Granny and Grandpa anymore when we were supposed to go to Ireland.

"So this question gave me a little more scope to build on Mr Poo Poo’s preferences.

"I told her that his tentacles really liked catching people with white hair. So, for the time being, people with white hair would be staying in their houses to mind themselves.

"Following this, she was momentarily concerned for our cats – they are black and white. However, she was much reassured when I told her Mr Poo Poo was scared of cats. Phew … quick save!

"And as questions continue to come up, I deal with them as best I can, with imagination, some age-appropriate facts and with calm.

"It is about taking your child’s lead – using their stories, interests, the metaphors they offer you – to create a reality that feels safer."

Find Amy on Facebook Elementshypnotherapy to hear more about her tips.