Helping Kids in Times of Crisis

During times of crisis, how do we help children who have been affected by the crisis to feel secure? The following suggestions and resources will help to guide you and your children through difficult times, whether that crisis involves a natural disaster, the death of a student or relative, or violence in the classroom.

These suggestions are from the American School Counselor Association. 

• Try and keep routines as normal as possible. Kids gain security from the predictability of routine, including attending school.

• Limit exposure to television and the news.

• Be honest with kids and share with them as much information as they are developmentally able to handle.

• Listen to kids’ fears and concerns.

• Reassure kids that the world is a good place to be, but that there are people who do bad things.

• Parents and adults need to first deal with and assess their own responses to crisis and stress.

• Rebuild and reaffirm attachments and relationships. 

Additional Resources