Talking about Ukraine-Russia conflict

The news has been very difficult for us all to deal with for a long time now, but it is particularly hard at present with the devastating invasion of the Ukraine by Russia. We have found in school that many children are asking about what is going on and they are understandably worried. Teachers here will answer questions when asked but we do understand this is a sensitive issue.  

If you are also getting questions at home, I thought I would share a few things to help you to explain difficult current affairs.  My initial go to is always Newsround (https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround) Newsround explains things very simply and clearly to children in a non-nonsense way.  You could watch some of the reports with your child/ren and then discuss and answer any questions they may have (I would recommend you watching them yourself first, so you know what to expect).  

Sky news and The Independent both have interesting articles on explaining the conflict to children: https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-invasion-how-do-you-speak-to-children-about-russias-war-12555059 

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/ukraine-invasion-how-to-explain-kids-b2025587.html  - just click don’t subscribe and you can read the article 

One thing both articles state is that it is not a good idea to hide these things from children or to brush them under the carpet. Children pick up on current affairs and it is much better that they talk about it with their safe people.  

If your child is interested in current affairs, there are some great publications out there for kids, such as FirstNews and The Week Junior.  

Of course, we are always here to help with your child’s mental health and if you think they are particularly distraught please speak to the class teacher or come and find me on the school gate.  

Our thoughts go out to all of our families who have links with Ukraine or come from surrounding countries.