Our hearts break for the victims of tragedies and other scary events in the news. As parents, we’d like to protect our children from tragedy, but it isn’t always possible. Even children not directly affected often hear about or are exposed to tragic events in some way.
Helpful Articles with Advice on Talking with Children about Tragedy
If you’re wondering how to help your children understand and cope with national tragedies and tragic events in the media, I’m sharing some posts today that give helpful ideas for talking with children about tragedy.
2022 update to include “all the scary news out there, whether it’s fighting overseas, a school shooting, devastating wildfire or a global pandemic“: War, Crisis, Tragedy – How to Talk with Kids when the News Is Scary from KQED – Mindshift.
Talking to Kids about Tragedy, Eduators’ Guidelines from WTOP.
How to Talk to Kids about Tragedies in the Media from Child Development Institute
Helping Children Cope with Tragedy Related Anxiety from Mental Health America
Talking with Children about Tragedies from About.com: Fatherhood
Talking with Children about Tragedy from The New York Times
A National Tragedy: Helping Children Cope from NASP Resources
10 Ways to Talk to Kids about World Events in the News from Education.com
Please check out the helpful resources at the collaborative PreK + K Sharing: Silence + Resources in Tragedy.
Teach Preschool has a helpful post for families and teachers wondering how to help young children after a school shooting: Discussion on back to preschool concerns after the tragedy at Sandy Hook School.
Michelle Obama wrote an open letter with advice on what parents can say to their children (written in relation to Sandy Hook): Michelle Obama’s advice on talking to young people about Newtown.
Here are two helpful posts on what parents are (and aren’t) telling their children (written in relation to Sandy Hook): Strategies for handling sad, tragic news – as a family from Teach Mama and Explaining the Inexplicable to Children from Naturally Educational.
KidPower has a post about helping children regain their emotional safety after a tragedy.
“Look for the Helpers” Mister Rogers Word Art Freebie
Activities focusing on helpers and heroes: 9/11 Activities for Children (Most of the activities work for any tragedy involving community helpers and heroes.
More community helpers activities: Community Helpers Activity Trays and Sensory Tubs.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families. If the unthinkable happens and your family is ever directly affected by a tragedy, please consider creating an “I Remember” book to help your children cope: Talking with Children about Death: Creating an “I Remember Book.”
Learn more about my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to. Teach Grace and Courtesy!
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Thank you for pulling these resources together.
Thanks, Shaunna! I hope families find them helpful.
Thanks for putting this together! I know I’ll be using some of these in the next few days.
Thanks so much, Cassie! I hope they help.
Thank you so much for all these links. I have found them to be very very helpful. Thanks SO much, really, I have been racking my brain on how to find REAL info on how to discuss tragedy with kids.
Thanks for your kind comment, Melissa. I’m so glad the resources were helpful for you.
I’m at a loss as to how to handle this. My son is 5 years old and in kindergarten. He currently knows nothing of this tragedy. We have not had the tv on all weekend and we haven’t talked about it. I don’t feel that it is necessary to inform him of it. However, he might hear something about it in school and these resources will be very helpful if I need to talk to him. I’m hoping that it hasn’t come up, but it is bound to have. I now feel bad about not having informed him of it myself. I just don’t want him to have to know about such horrors.
Your approach is a good one for young children, Rachel. I added two new links today about how parents are approaching it in their own families. They, too, are trying to protect their young children from knowing about the tragedy.
Oh Deb what a great post! I have been looking for just the right list. Do you mind if I share your post via The Mommies Network blog and my own with credit to you as always? Thanks girl for being such a blessing 🙂
Thanks so much for your kind words, Leslie! Of course you may share my post! I’m so glad it’s helpful. Thank you for being a blessing, too!
Children are most sensitive and how we prepare them for exceptional events like tragedies is really important. Thanks for the helpful share.
Thanks, Fatima! Blessings to you.
Thanks you for these resources! What a great resource!
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! Thanks for linking up to TGIF! See you Friday,
Beth =-)
Thanks, Beth! My family and I definitely had a wonderful Christmas … I hope yours was wonderful, too. I’m already linked up this week. Thanks so much for hosting TGIF.