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Resources for Helping Children Cope with Tragedy

It can be difficult to know how to help children process the news they may be hearing and seeing about the shootings in Connecticut — or with any random acts of violence. How do we help them feel safe? How much should we tell them?

We offer you a list of books and resources to help guide children through what can be a scary and uncertain time for youngsters.

Preschool-Third Grade

When I Feel Scared (Chinese) by Cornelia Spelman
Sometimes Bad Things Happen by Ellen B. Jackson
Tell Me Something Happy Before I Go To Sleep by Joyce Dunbar
You Hold Me and I’ll Hold You by Jo Carson
This Place I Know: Poems of Comfort by Georgia Heard
A Terrible Thing Happened by Sasha J. Mudlaff
When Dinosaurs Die by Laurie Kaursny Brown and Marc Brown
Growing Up Brave by Donna B. Pincus

Fourth-Seventh Grade

Bad Stuff In The News: A Guide Of Handling The Headlines by Rabbi Marc Gellman and Morrnsignor Thomas Hartman
When A Friend Dies: A Book For Teens About Grieving And Healing by Marilyn E. Gootman
What Have You Lost? By Naomi Shihab Nye

For Adults

Growing Up Brave: Expert Strategies for Helping Your Child Overcome Fear, Stress and Anxiety by Donna Pincus.
Professional Advice about Helping Children Cope with Violence and Tragic Events
- Indystar Video: How Parents, Children Can Cope With School Shooting Tragedy
- National Association for the Education of Young Children: Coping With School Shooting
- The Fred Rogers Company: Fred Rogers Talks About Tragic Events in the News
- National Association of School Psychologists: Helping Children Cope
- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Talking to Children about Community Violence
- Educators for Social Responsibility share helpful links for adults on engaging in conversations with children: Educators for Social Responsibility: Understanding World Events
- National Child Traumatic Stress Network: Talking to Children About the Shooting

After their questions have been addressed, it is quite possible that children who are not in the immediate vicinity of the violence will want life to return to “normal.” We recommend you share favorite, comforting books with your child.