HELPING CHILDREN COPE
Show Love
Children young and old need expressions of love to help them through difficult times. Parents and caregivers may want to offer a lot of touching or holding to help the child feel secure. Telling a child you love them regularly can be very helpful, and may also encourage them to express how they feel. Respond to Children’s Feelings It is very important to respond appropriately to children’s feelings. Younger children may be less able to express themselves verbally, but may do so through their actions. With older children, it is useful for parents and caregivers to encour- age free expression of thoughts and feelings. Children may express sadness, fear and anger, all of which are to be expected. A child may cry, which is perfectly natural. Do not be afraid of tears and do not attempt to hurry them along.
Anger may be act- ed out in physically appropriate ways, such as running outside or stuffing newspapers in a trash bag. When a child appears to be feeling a particular way, ask him/her how they
A child will reprocess their grief feelings at each developmental level in their lives.
are feeling. The best way for a child to become comfortable in sharing his/her thoughts and
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