Talking to Kids about War and Terrorism
- 9/11, Iraq and Kids: Tips for Parents—from the NYU Child Study Center. Offers information about talking to kids, handling the 9/11 anniversary, when to seek professional help, and a wealth of further resources, including Spanish information, an educator's guide, web resources, and books.
- Talking to Children about Terrorism: By the Numbers—Age-appropriate responses from Purdue University Extension. Covers preschoolers through young adults.
- Coping in Unsettling Times: Tips for Students and Tips for Parents and Teachers—from the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). Also available: tips for students and parents in Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Urdu and Vietnamese.
- You Can Ask (Fear)—from Sesame Street Parents. This set of resources was developed for parents and caregivers to help 3- to 8-year-olds build social and emotional skills and cope with whatever comes their way. The webpage includes a video you can watch with your child about Elmo dealing with his fear after being in a scary situation. The Guide for Parents and Caregivers includes important developmental information and practial tips for adults.
- Children’s Needs after a Disaster from the group Prepare/Respond/Recover has useful age-specific information on the following topics:
- Recognizing Stress in Children—signs of stress in children by age group
- Strategies for Parents and Teachers to Assist Children Who are Managing Stress—includes many developmentally appropriate suggested activities
- Benefits of Play and Age-Specific Interventions—how to help kids use play to work out their feelings.
- Talking to Children about September 11th—from Richard Solomon, MD.
- My Book About The War And Terrorism: A Guided Activity Workbook for Children, Families and Teachers to promote healthy expression, learning and coping—this 104 page kids’ book from the Children’s Psychological Health Center is available for $19.00 from Amazon.com. The book includes a guide for how to use it in developmentally appropriate ways, straightforward explanations of history and current events related to the war in Iraq, and lots of space for kids to color, draw, and write down their ideas and feelings about the war, terrorism, and conflict.
- List of recommended books for children about death—organized by age group.
- Children and Grief—from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
- YourChild: When a military parent deploys or returns.
Compiled by Kyla Boyse, R.N. Reviewed by faculty and staff at the University of Michigan
Updated March 2010
U-M Health System Related Sites:
Department of Psychiatry
U-M Pediatrics
