Natural disasters, family changes such as divorce, death, serious injury, or community violence can be traumatic for both children and adults. Everyone needs time to process traumatic events. Children often experience disasters differently than adults and they need to have developmentally appropriate explanations of them. Engage with children to help them process tragic events, practice coping skills, and build resiliency. Here are some helpful resources:
- Disasters: Children’s Responses and Helping Them Recover by K-State Research and Extension, https://www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/MF3196.pdf
- Coping with Violence, resources compiled by The National Association for the Education of Young Children, http://www.naeyc.org/content/coping-violence
By: Nora Rhoades
