The power of nature can strike both awe and fear. Although some children get excited during storms, others find thunderstorms quite frightening. Although it’s important to educate children about the potential dangers of storms and how to practice storm safety, we also want them to feel safe and secure. All storms, mild or severe, seem to pass more quickly with happy children. The next time a storm is brewing, use the following tips to calm your child.
1. Stay Calm
Your behavior will inform your child’s response. If you act scared, stressed, or panicked, your child will too. It’s important that you always remain calm, even in the face of a serious storm.
2. Avoid Exposing Children to the News
Newscasters are masters at creating hype, excitement, and even fear because doing so improves ratings. It also accentuates your children’s fear. If possible, discretely monitor the weather conditions in the absence of children or at least turn the volume down and try to take the focus away from the media.
3. Plan Activities and Stick to Routines
Whether you’re stuck indoors or in a storm shelter area, try to keep to your routines and activities as normal as possible. Disrupting routines, mealtimes, and schedules can heighten anxiety in children. Keeping games, favorite snacks, and soft blankets in your storm shelter area can help to maintain some level of normalcy and comfort.
4. Acknowledge and Educate
Do not dismiss your child’s fears, which are only natural, by simply telling them there’s nothing to be afraid of. Children are intelligent and sometimes understand a dismissal of feelings as a confirmation of what they’re experiencing. In other words, they might think, “My parent won’t tell me it’s dangerous because they don’t want me to know it’s dangerous.”
Instead, let them know you understand how they feel. Then calm their fears with reassurance that they are safe when they are inside. If your child’s old enough and likes science, distract them by turning a storm into a science lesson. Talk to them about clouds, wind, lightning, rain, and temperature changes. For many children, simply understanding how a storm works eases their fears.
Enhance Development in a Nurturing Environment
At Creative Corner Child Care Center, children learn, grow, and develop in a calm, enriching environment. We provide childcare and educational activities for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. For more information, call us at (615) 581-0157, use our convenient online form, or stop by today!
