Nursery World - 'Let children re-tell terrorist events'

Pre-school children in America have been encouraged to re-enact last month's terrorist attacks on New York and Washington through playing with older children so that they can come up with alternative endings and make sense of the events. The advice is one of a number of coping strategies published by the National Education Association (NEA) in its crisis communication guide for school staff and parents. It said the guide was to help them to 'monitor the health needs of children during this difficult time' and added, 'As educators, parents and American citizens, make no mistake, our world has been rocked by these terrorist attacks.' The NEA said, 'Re-enactments and play about the catastrophe should be encouraged. It may be useful to provide (children) with special time to paint, draw or write about the event. Adults or older children may help pre-school children re-enact the event, since pre-school children may not be able to imagine alternative "endings" to the disaster and hence may feel particularly helpless.'

The advice is one of a number of coping strategies published by the National Education Association (NEA) in its crisis communication guide for school staff and parents. It said the guide was to help them to 'monitor the health needs of children during this difficult time' and added, 'As educators, parents and American citizens, make no mistake, our world has been rocked by these terrorist attacks.' The NEA said, 'Re-enactments and play about the catastrophe should be encouraged. It may be useful to provide (children) with special time to paint, draw or write about the event. Adults or older children may help pre-school children re-enact the event, since pre-school children may not be able to imagine alternative "endings" to the disaster and hence may feel particularly helpless.'

The NEA also stressed the need for families to 'rebuild and reaffirm attachments and relationships' through 'love and care'. However, it warned that parents and teachers should be prepared to tolerate 'regressive behaviours and accept the manifestation of aggression and anger' in children, especially in the early days after the event.

Talking in 'hopeful' terms about future events can help children to rebuild trust and faith in their own future and the world's, the NEA also advised. 'Often parental despair interferes with a child's ability to recover.' Meanwhile in the UK the National Union of Teachers (NUT) has warned teachers and early years staff to be prepared for increased tension between pupils from different ethnic and religious groups following the terrorist attacks in America.

NUT general secretary Doug McAvoy said, 'Pupils and teachers, particularly those from minority ethnic groups, must be protected from the abuse and threats which can arise out of ignorance and prejudice. The best way to deal with such problems is to bring them out in the open, to discuss them and ensure that all involved understand that racism is not acceptable.' The NUT called on teachers to be 'especially vigilant' for signs of name-calling, abuse and bullying, particularly of Muslim pupils, and tension between pupils from different ethnic groups.