Last year, after the Earthquake in Haiti, I wrote a post, Defining an Earthquake, sharing how I approached the reality of that Earthquake disaster with my children. Following the devastation in Japan this week, I referred to the post to find more resources and realized it was time for an update. Here are some fantastic resources to help you explain Earthquakes, Tsunamis, and natural disasters to children.
- Tech Savvy Mama shares detail specific to Japan as she breaks into the core of the details. She highlights Earthquake and Tsunami resources, offers explanations for adults and children, shares games and discussion questions for parents to help break into talking about the difficult and scary topic.
- Last year, The Children’s Hospital of Aurora, CO, released an excellent article of talking tips for parents regarding the Earthquake in Haiti for children ages 5-10 and tweens and teens.
- Enchanted Learning, a site respected by teachers for addressing research topics in a direct, child-friendly manner, offers a description of tsunamis with diagrams.
- The USGS (United States Geological Survey) hosts an incredible site of Earthquake-related activities for teaching children, complete with puzzles, simulations, images, and history.
- Grace of Formerly Gracie shares tips for talking to young children about a disaster.
It’s never easy to discuss disasters with children. We’d all love to keep our kids sheltered and innocent. But when really scary things happen, I’d much rather be the one to tell the kids the truth than for them to hear something in school.
