As hurricane season approaches, we are all looking for ways to protect our homes and securing proper evacuation plans. For parents, although these plans do include children, you must also remember their emotional health and well-being. If you have small children in your home, it is important to prepare them for hurricane season by discussing and creating a plan they can understand. Here are some tips to get kids ready and keep them calm during a storm:
Build a "Storm Kit":
Let your children create their very own storm kits, which includes some of their favorite things such as stuffed animals, games, blankets, etc. This way, when a storm arrives, they will know exactly where their kits are and what is inside.
Be Honest:
If your children ask questions about the severity of the storm, it is best to tell them the truth. Instead of saying "it's almost over," when you know this is only the beginning, let them know the storm will be here for a while, but remain optimistic in tone.
Keep Calm and Carry On:
Your children's emotions are a mirror image of yours; the same goes for pets. If you remain calm, so will they. Times like this are when your children will look to you the most.
Stay busy:
This is a great time to bring out family fun games such as Monopoly, Charades, and other team activities.
Make it fun:
Teach your children this is all a part of nature. Give them something to be interested in, rather than be afraid of. Explain how thunder and lightning work or pretend it is nature's very own light show. Fun tip: After you see a flash of lightning, count the number of seconds until you hear the thunder again. For every 5 seconds, the storm is one mile away. After you count the number of seconds, just divide by 5 to get the number of miles. This is also a great math lesson!
Every child is different. Therefore, every child will have a different reaction to the storm. In cases like this, you will need to use trial and error to establish the perfect routine for when a storm hits. We hope these suggestions will help you along the way.
