RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: to understand the experiences and coping strategies of children and adolescents with chronic illnesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: a descriptive study, with a qualitative approach, carried out with six children and adolescents at the reception of an outpatient clinic of a pediatric hospital in the state of Ceará. Data collection took place from April to September 2021, using story-drawing, analyzed in light of Coutinho's criteria. RESULTS: two thematic categories emerged: Situations experienced by children and adolescents in times of COVID-19; Coping strategies for children and adolescents in their chronic illness process during the COVID-19 pandemic. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: understanding the experiences and coping strategies of children and adolescents with chronic illness demonstrated the expression of creative imagination, incorporated by subjective components, which brings to light an approximation with the reality perceived and interpreted in a context of the COVID-19 pandemic.