You can be sure that if your child has access to any sort of social media then they will have heard about the conflict in Ukraine, and/or may have picked up information from friends. For many children, the events unfolding in Ukraine have now become more of a concern than Covid-19. You may be asking yourself whether you should be talking to your child about these world events. You may decide that avoiding the subject is the best way to avoid anxiety or alarm, but evidence suggests that having a supportive discussion about a stressful event can actually decrease anxiety.
Some of the children in school will have had an assembly this week where we talked about the situation in Ukraine, so they might talk to you about that at home.
Newsround offer lots of child-friendly videos and information for children, with advice to help them when they feel upset by the news. In view of the nature of the current news, you may wish to watch first to make sure that you are happy for your child to watch. Sit with them while they watch and help answer their questions afterwards. BBC Newsround
The Department for Education has published a blog to help everyone have access to the facts, not misinformation. You can find that here.
Dame Rachel de Souza, who is the Children’s Commissioner, has written a blog with some advice on how to empower children, helping them to respond in a positive way to the current situation. You can read that here.
This link https://theconversation.com/how-to-talk-to-children-about-the-invasion-of-ukraine-and-why-those-conversations-are-important-177983 also provides information on how to talk to children of all ages about the conflict.
iNews also offers clear advice on how to talk to your children about the situation in the Ukraine – recommending honesty, reassurance and calm.
This week’s Thrive is also dedicated to protecting your own mental health while being bombarded by this awful news.
If you have any further concerns, please contact us at school.
Take Care & Stay Safe
Mr Dunn
0 Comments
Trackbacks/Pingbacks