The UK has become the latest country to close schools in a bid to slow down the spread of the novel coronavirus. This is a game changer for families, displacing children from friends, learning and their school community. To help them through what could be months of isolation and potentially lockdown, we need to consider how this new world looks and feels to them.

Unfortunately we cannot just soothe the situation away and protect a little bubble of normality. The stakes are too high, and we need children to take the key messages seriously. As any parent knows, it isn't exactly easy to get them to wash their hands and not touch their faces. But there are things we can do to make the situation easier for them, and get them to cooperate.

Children are often soothed by touch. Touch calms the heart rate, and allows children to feel secure, so we can expect them to be more clingy and in need of affection at such an unsettling time. But if a parent has a cough and can't be physically close to their children - even teenagers - this will be exceptionally hard for them to cope with.

It is therefore important to maximise physical contact where possible. Encourage affection where it is safe to do so and keep them topped up with the security of warm hugs from those that can offer them. Where it's not possible, you could treasure their need for physical contact by taking their requests for hugs sincerely and "banking" them in a special jar with homemade tokens.

In the meantime, ask them how you can help them feel better. Children are unique and resourceful, so it's important to keep the communication open. Even if there is no easy answer, they will hear that you have noticed them in the midst of the crisis. Be aware that children and young people will be hearing news broadcasts and adult conversations - they know when we are worried, and they will be hearing stories of death everyday, which is deeply unsettling.

If they have direct questions about the pandemic, it is best to answer honestly, but also positively. You can tell them that: "Some people have died, yes, but not children. And washing our hands and staying at home is helping all of us stay safe." Diverting their attention is a powerful alternative. You can use games, cooking activities, stories and conversation starters to take the attention away from frightening talk of the virus.