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Home > Life Kit: Parenting > When The News Is Scary, What To Say To Kids
Podcast: Life Kit: Parenting
Episode:

When The News Is Scary, What To Say To Kids

Category: Kids & family
Duration: 00:26:31
Publish Date: 2019-03-18 04:03:36
Description: Whether a school shooting or a deadly tornado, scary events in the news can leave parents struggling to know when — and how — they should talk with their kids about it. Rosemarie Truglio of Sesame Workshop and Tara Conley, a media studies professor at Montclair State University, give us tips.

- Limit their exposure to breaking news.
- For the really big stories, pick a quiet moment and start the conversation by asking what kids have heard and how they're feeling.
- Give facts and context: Let kids know that most scary news events are rare. Show them where it is happening on a map.
- When they ask why something happened, avoid labels like "bad guys."
- Encourage kids to process the story through play, art, even video.
- Take positive action together.
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