Helping Children Cope with Disaster

The following two resources may be useful in helping children to manage their feelings as they learn about the extent of the earthquake in Japan and the resulting tsunami:

Helping Gifted Children Cope with Global Disasters (by the National Association for Gifted Children)

“Recently, I asked these children to tell me what they felt was important to them about understanding the Tsunami. They all agreed that understanding the science behind it helped them to process what had occurred. They felt empowered because if they ever visit a location at risk for Tsunamis, they knew the causes and the warning signs. They expressed the wish that someone had taught the people in Indonesia what to do in case of a Tsunami. One student noted that it was important to know that no one had caused it (unlike the terror of 9-11), ‘you didn’t need to feel angry’ on top of feeling sad. Others said, ‘If I didn’t know about it I would be scared it would happen to me’ and ‘It is very sad that it happened, but now that people know it can happen there, they can prevent so many deaths from happening again’.” Read More

Global Disasters: Helping Children Cope (by the National Association of School Psychologists)

“Highlight people’s compassion and humanity. Large-scale tragedies often generate a tremendous outpouring of caring and support from around the world. Focus on the aid being provided by governments, non-profit aid agencies, and individual donors. Discuss the truly Herculean logistical process of getting aid to the most impacted areas and the cooperation between leaders and people of so many nations.” Read More

And below are links to ways to help from reputable resources:

Help Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Victims Without Getting Scammed (from PC World)

Resources from the New York Times

Resources from MSNBC

Resources from CNN