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A: We all agree that Hurricane Katrina is a disaster
like no other in our country, and you're right to worry about its
effects on thousands of bewildered children! Here are some ways to
help: 10 ways parents can help children displaced by Hurricane
Katrina
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Establish routines. Use the power
of routines to give your children a sense of security. Try to
have a regular time to go to bed, a time to get up and a time to
nap. If your regular order of events was to brush teeth, read a
story and go to sleep -- follow it. Children thrive on
structure. Be predictable and consistent. Remember to keep
strict hygiene routines as well.
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Talk and listen. Take time to
focus love and attention on each of your children every day.
Talk directly to your children. Their questions may come at
different times. Follow their lead. Ask open-ended questions to
find out what they already know. Listen to what each child has
to say. Really listen. Then respond simply and honestly. Keep
your children informed as much as you can.
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Read. Read to and with your
children. Newspapers, magazines, catalogs -- nearly anything
will do. Sit next to your child. If your child used to read on
her own and now wants you to read to her -- do it. Don't worry.
A certain amount of regression is normal. After a while you
might take turns, each reading a page. Or suggest your child
read to a younger child. But give your children the comfort they
need right now.
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Maintain firm, fair and
consistent discipline. Especially in a time of chaos,
uncertainty and change, children need the behavior boundaries
and guidelines parents can give them. Be consistent. If jumping
on the furniture was not OK before the hurricane, it should not
be OK today either. Remember to remain calm. Say "I love you" to
your children every day.
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Assign responsibility. Children
are often confused by their disrupted situation and don't know
what's expected of them. Find age-appropriate tasks for your
children to perform -- and then let them. Even very young
children can help keep things in their proper place, even if
that is a box or a special place on the floor.
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Create learning opportunities.
It's a fact that difficult times make people stronger. Talk with
your children about what is going on. Ask each other, "What can
we learn from this?" Give your children an opportunity to write
or draw in a journal. Find math lessons all around you --
measuring, counting, estimating and so on. Children love to
learn, and there's a lot to learn now!
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Help your child adjust. Children
will have anxieties about being displaced, as well as having to
adapt to a new school and new friends. Let them know that you
care about them, as do the people in the new school. But
remember that homework is still a fact of life, and your
children will need your support in providing a learning
environment. Give them time to unwind for a little while and
tell about their day.
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Monitor media. Young children
especially are visually oriented and tend to react emotionally
to images they see on TV and in print. Avoid media saturation as
much as possible, but take time to explain the images they see.
Learning about things together intellectually can help eliminate
nightmares and other anxieties brought on by fear.
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Teach respect and compassion. Be
a model of sensitivity toward others who are also affected by
the disaster. Teach your children that during this difficult
time everyone needs to help and respect one another. Encourage
each child to share a toy, a book or a kind smile with another
child who is sad. Helping others can teach your children
compassion and empathy.
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Deal with boredom. You've
established routines as much as possible. You're devoting extra
time and attention to your children. Yet you are still faced
with hours and days and weeks on end with seemingly nothing to
occupy your active children. Encourage calm activities if your
space is limited. Try one of the following "boredom-buster"
learning activities:
[to top of second column in this article]
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 17 learning games for children and adults
It is especially important when children are in new and
unsettling conditions to help keep them on track with their
education, no matter where they are. You don't have to be a teacher
to help children learn. Try these ideas with your children, friends
and neighbors:
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Play the alphabet game. See if
you can find a person, place or thing that starts with every
letter of the alphabet, from "a" to "z."
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Think of a word and say it aloud.
Have your child provide a word that begins with the last letter
of that word. Have another child continue with a new word.
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Practice mental math with a
series of operations. For example: Take the number three, square
it, double that, find one-third of the number, subtract one,
square that, subtract one, find-one fourth of that number, and
what do you get? (See answer below.)
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Play the name game to build
memory and get to know people around you. Have a group of people
sit in a circle. The first person says his name and names his
favorite food. The second person repeats the first person's
answer, and adds his name and his favorite food. Go around until
you come back to the first person.
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Take a common word and put the
letters in alphabetical order. For example, computer becomes "cemoprtu."
Make a sentence to go with the new word: "Can you write with a
cemoprut?" Then see if your child can unscramble the "alphamixup"
word. Each person can make a list of 10 words. Trade lists and
see who can guess the most words.
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Play the homonym game. Think of a
pair of homonyms and then give your child clues. "I'm thinking
of a word that's a letter and a drink" (T, tea). Here are more
pairs: ant, aunt; board, bored; hole, whole; meet, meat.
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Make up a rule for separating the
alphabet into three groups. The rule must allow all the letters
of the alphabet to fit into one of the three categories. For
example, all letters with a curve might go into one group. Then
the two other categories have to include all other letters in a
sensible way.
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Play "I Spy." Spy things in
different categories, such as plants, animals, foods, vehicles
and clothing. Have your child name which category each item
belongs to. Then everyone tries to guess what the item is. Or
try "I Spy, I Spell." For example: "I spy something that begins
with ‘d.'"
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Take a walk together. Ask your
child to bring paper and a pencil to write down street names and
landmarks. After you return, have your child make a map of your
new neighborhood.
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Make math fun by asking silly
questions that require math to answer them: "How many minutes is
it until your birthday?" "What percent of the pizza did Dad eat
tonight?"
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Say a letter of the alphabet.
Have your child name a state that begins with that letter. Once
she gets all the states down, move on to naming the states and
their capitals.
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Turn reading into a daily game.
After you've finished a section in the newspaper, challenge your
child to find a few facts in the articles. For example, "Who won
the game yesterday?"
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Improve communication by playing
the "Freeze" game. During a meal, say "freeze." Look to see who
is paying attention to the conversation.
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Take turns listing palindromes
(words that are read the same way forward and backward) with
your child. Here are two examples: mom and deed.
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Have your child think of words
that begin with the letters in his name. If a dictionary is
handy, help him find words there. Learn the definitions of those
words and make up sentences with them. For more words, just
choose another person's name!
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Recall events from your child's
life and tell them like you would a great story. She may not
realize that these count as history too.
- Play charades. Choose a topic, such as careers, and act out
words that fit the topic.
(Answer to No. 3 is six.)
[The Parent
Institute]
Published as a public service by The Parent
Institute, a division of NIS Inc. May be reprinted.
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