How to explain war to children

In these hours it is almost impossible to keep children away from information, from news of the terrible events in Ukraine. However, hiding and completely censoring current events is not the method recommended by experts to deal with such situations.

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We can talk about war with children, we can also talk about the ugliest aspects, such as pain and death, and we can be afraid. Wars have always existed and will continue to do so, as have hope, love and recovery.

To deal with the discourse of war with children, you must first put yourself in listening mode, understand what are the doubts and questions that swirl in the heads of the little ones and help them understand what is happening. Leaving them alone would mean not providing them with a compassionate and humanitarian interpretation.

The hardest part comes just when the adults, who are also agitated by the current situation, who have to try to give a vision to the little ones. Here we try to give some quick tips:

• listen to children
• answer questions without censorship
• leave room for emotions, even crying, to comfort later
• show films, cartoons, stories that speak of war and pain with a moral of hope and, in general, positive
• make empathy understood