How to Talk with Youth about the Israel-Hamas War and the War in Ukraine
There has been a lot of turmoil recently in the world.
Children and adolescents may be seeing information on the news or hear adults and their peers talking about what is occurring in Europe and the Middle East. Things are very uncertain, and this can cause many feelings in our youth.
Below are some resources for parents and teachers to help them in talking with youth about what is happening.
Tips for talking to elementary school children about war
This resource developed by the American Psychological Association provides tips for talking to elementary school children about war -
https://www.apa.org/topics/resilience/kids-war
Tips for talking to preschool children about war
This resource developed by the American Psychological Association provides tips for talking to preschool children about war -
https://www.apa.org/topics/resilience/preschool-war
Tips for talking to teens about war
This resource developed by the American Psychological Association provides tips for talking to teens about war –
https://www.apa.org/topics/resilience/teen-war
Steps to build a sense of well-being and control when coping
This resource developed by the American Psychological Association is a more general read about common reactions and response to disasters, as well as providing steps to build a sense of well-being and control when coping –
https://www.apa.org/topics/disasters-response/recovering
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) has many wonderful resources.
This page developed by The NCTSN provides information on talking to children about mass violence. While not specific to the current crises, is overall very informative. – https://www.nctsn.org/sites/default/files/resources//talking_to_children_about_mass_violence.pdf
The NCTSN provided a page about talking to children about war – https://www.nctsn.org/sites/default/files/resources/fact-sheet/talking-to-children-about-war_0.pdf
The NCTSN also developed a page about how to talk to children about hate crimes and antisemitism –
A good read for parents
PureWow developed an article about how to talk to children. It is a good read for parents, covering how to take the process from checking-in with yourself, finding out what the youth already knows, validating their feelings, having a conversation, and how to monitor their exposure. –
https://www.purewow.com/family/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-israel-and-gaza
Empowering Young People in the Aftermath of Hate
The Anti-Defamation League developed this resource about Empowering Young People in the Aftermath of Hate (also available in Español). The resource provides considerations for discussion and lesson plans. –
