Helping Kids During Crisis

• 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.

"A National Tragedy: Helping Children Cope," from the National Association of School Psychologists.

Talking to Children About Violence, National Association of School Psychologists

Listen, Protect and Connect: Psychological First Aid for Teachers and Schools,