Thousands of families are affected by the current floods, with many children suffering major disruption and loss and having to live through frightening experiences. While some children may have lost their home, their pets, toys or garden to the floods, others may be upset to see their favourite park or playground underwater. They may be distressed to hear of family members or friends affected by flood damage or may have become traumatised by seeing repeated images of the floods in the media.
Children are not always able to express their feelings in the same direct way as adults. So, it is important that practitioners look out for, and respond to, changes in children's behaviour that suggest they are unsettled or distressed. Here are some reactions that will signal children’s distress:
Physical changes Fussy eating; trouble getting to sleep; anxiety about sleeping alone
Emotional signs Irritability or anger; nightmares; becoming withdrawn; having problems concentrating
Social responses Changes in their play — for example, drawing, dreams or spontaneous conversations; regressive behaviour; tantrums; wanting to stay close to a parent.
PROVIDING REASSURANCE
Providing the reassurance that children need can be difficult for families, particularly when they are struggling with the stress of evacuating their homes or losing their businesses. A child’s key person at nursery can help in various ways:
Be discreet and offer reassurance
Staff will no doubt want to discuss media coverage of the floods and any local flooding. However, avoid such conversations within earshot of the children as this will only add to children’s anxiety. If children sense practitioners are worried, then they tend to become anxious too. It is vital that staff reassure children that these floods are extraordinary — the worst since records began — and that things will return to normal.
Establish fact and fiction
Young children often struggle to differentiate fact from fiction and are likely to have misconceptions about the floods. Find out what children actually know about the current flooding through discussions and by encouraging them to represent the floods in their drawings. Correct any misconceptions and offer reassurance, bearing in mind that children’s emotional maturity will vary.
Strengthen your partnership with parents
Parents affected by the floods are likely to be showing signs of stress and fatigue, may seek reassurance from nursery staff and welcome a sympathetic ear. Keeping channels of communication open and providing more time for parents to talk is important at such difficult times. As well as offering them some comfort, parents can also keep you informed about how their child is coping, so enabling you to care care for their child appropriately and understand any changes in the children’s behaviour.
Soothe children showing anxiety
To validate children’s feelings of anxiety, respond to their concerns with the right tone of voice and energy and use familiar activities such as hand games, nursery rhymes, songs and music to soothe them.
Make the children feel safe and secure
Your priority should be to make children feel safe and secure throughout the day. Children may need the support of an adult who intervenes sensitively to provide the time they need to express their feelings in their play. For a brief period, you may notice how dependent on you they become.
Adjust your planning and activities to be more responsive
Staff may have to revisit their planned activities to take account of children’s recent experiences and responses to the floods. Decide whether and how to promote activities that will allow children to express their feelings about the floods and develop their understanding of recent events — bearing in mind that while such activities may be appropriate for some children, they may prove distressing for others. Here are some suggestions to consider:
- Share stories linked to flooding during storytime or provide such books in the book corner
- Make a flood book – for some children this will help them to express and share the experiences that they have had
- Add open-ended resources and props to the water tray or the small-world play area
- Add props such as buckets, mops or emergency service uniforms to the home corner
- Encourage the children to draw rainbows of kindness to give to those affected by flooding.
Time to talk about and to listen to the children’s concerns will need to be protected during busy everyday activities. Be alert to the kind of questions that the children are asking and respond appropriately if they signal any anxiety.
Be alert to anxiety triggers – keep calm and carry on
Be aware that after the flooding is over children may still become anxious during any heavy downpours. Prepare a response that will offer reassurance to the children and is used consistently by all staff across the setting. Be prepared to repeat the ‘message’ several times to ensure that the children feel reassured.
Review procedures
Use the incident of the floods as an opportunity to test your nursery procedures — for example, the emergency evacuation of the building or other potential threats to safety. A review of these procedures can be a useful exercise for staff — and possible a necessary one given the generally high turnover of staff in some settings. When reminding staff of procedures, try to identify too any areas for improvement. When was your critical incident and policy procedure reviewed fully with the current staff team?
Ann Roberts is an early years consultant
