Even with all those issues addressed – your child has a mask that fits, and they understand how and why to use it – many kids continue to struggle with wearing masks effectively.
Among her early-elementary-aged students, the most common missteps Solomon has witnessed is touching, tugging, and fidgeting with masks, or even removing them at the moments they need to wear them most.
"I see a lot of kids pulling their masks down below their mouth when they want to speak and then covering their mouth back up when they are done speaking," Solomon said. "Children are having a hard time being heard and also understanding what other people are saying. Masks take away our ability to lip-read, which even when there is no hearing loss, is something we all use without being aware."
She also noted that a quarter of her students suck or chew on their masks. "When children inhale, some masks are sucked in to the point of touching there lips," she explained. "Once the fabric touches their lips, it's tempting to stick their tongue out."
This happens even more with young kids, who have a pre-existing gustatory tenancy to explore materials – like toys – with their mouths, but older kids aren't immune to this habit. "Children who are starting to lose teeth and grow adult teeth often salivate more and may accidentally spit while talking. This will get their mask wet. And to top it off, it's allergy season so even without COVID, kids are sneezing and have runny noses."
Her recommendation is to think of it like brushing teeth – another chore that most kids understand how to do and why to do it, yet it's still a battle that you have to fight with consistent reminders and supervision until it becomes routine.
In the case of masks, she suggests that each time your child touches their mask, they should wash their hands. "Just like adults, children don't like to constantly wash their hands, so if they are repeatedly asked to wash their hands each time they touch their mask, they will probably touch it less."
She also advises modelling, in which parents and teachers practice the same consistent mask hygiene that they are asking of kids: "It goes without saying, but this is true for adults, too, and if we don't do it, our children almost certainly won't."