Offering Comfort in Scary Times

Watch the video together and let kids know it’s good to ask questions about the [scary or confusing] things happening around them. Here are more ways you can offer your child comfort: 

• Give your child a comfort item like a stuffed animal or blanket. 
• Hold hands and snuggle often. 
• Choose one routine you can all count on to continue even when your situation or location has changed, such as the same lullaby every night, or observing the shape of the moon before bed. 
• Look for the “helpers.” Focus on all the people around you working to make things better. 
• “Belly breathe!” Put your hands on your bellies and take three deep breaths in and out, feeling your bellies rise and fall. Put a stuffed animal on your child’s belly and have them “rock it to sleep” as they breathe. 
• Try to prevent children from seeing disturbing images on television or online.