Helping Children Cope with the Trauma of An Earthquake, By Beryl Cheal

“Did you know that thousands of earthquakes happen in the world every year? It’s true, but most are too small to be felt by people and only a few are strong enough to cause damage. Earthquakes are caused by the constant motion of the earth’s surface. This motion causes buildup and release of energy stored in rocks at, or near, the earth’s surface. The ‘quake’ is the sudden rapid shaking of the earth as this energy is released. We can’t do anything to prevent earthquakes ……………….. (but) ….. Children are able to cope most easily if they understand what happens and if they know what to do.”

The above information comes from the Introduction of Earthquakes: What You Can Do With Your Children, by Beryl Cheal. (Cheal, 1997) Included in the booklet are many activities that adults, working with young children, can do to help children heal from the frightening experience of living through an earthquake. But before we think of helping children understand why earthquakes occur let’s look at what frequently happens when children experience a traumatic event and what staff working with young children can do to help them restore a sense of security, well-being and confidence.

Children who have lived through an earthquake or have in some other way been touched by a traumatic event may show symptoms of stress and if not given special attention and help those symptoms could become major long-lasting problems. Time alone usually does not heal the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that may result. In fact experts are finding that more than 30% of children who experience major stress exhibit at least one symptom of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. (Perry, August 1999)

Children’s reactions to an earthquake, or other disaster, should be expected. They are normal reactions to abnormal circumstances. Studies are finding that, in fact, a child’s brain can physically change as a result of major and prolonged trauma. (Perry, September 1999) You may notice one or more changed behaviors as your children struggle to cope with stress resulting from their experiences. They may:

Be unable to focus on activities, directions or classroom expectations.

Have symptoms of illness, such as fever, headaches, chills, nausea, loss of appetite.

Experience sleep disturbances such as frightening dreams, not being able to sleep, needing a light on or a door open to sleep.

Startle more easily.

Worry about what will happen to them.

Not want to be left alone.

Change from being shy to being aggressive or from being aggressive to being shy, quiet, and withdrawn.

Be upset at the loss of a favorite toy, blanket, teddy bear, etc.

Go back to younger behaviors of sucking their thumb, wetting the bed, wanting a bottle, or wanting to be held.

Not want to go to school, pre-school, or child care.

Be afraid the event will happen again.

Become afraid of loud noises, storms, or unfamiliar people.

Demonstrate angry feelings by hitting, kicking, or throwing things.

Not want to let their parents out of their sight.

Children who have survived disaster need emotional support. They need to know that someone is there to take care of them and keep them safe. The good news is that there are windows of opportunity. If adults respond to children as soon as possible after a disaster it can help most children return to a normal life.

Here are some things that adults can do. Staff in your program may already be doing some of the things listed here so these may just be reminders. We all need reminders once in a while!

Be especially patient when children are fearful.

Be especially caring when children need love.

Give extra comfort when children are sad.

Be particularly sensitive when children talk about things that trouble them.

Be calm when children are angry or upset.

Be consistent and predictable to give children a sense of security.

Be encouraging when children seem to have lost their self-confidence.

Be a good listener when children tell you what happened to them.

Be nonjudgmental when children express their feelings.

Be slow moving to calm children who are anxious and tense.

Be alert to hear a child’s pain.

Give special attention to children when they are overcome by their losses.

Be reassuring when children have lost faith in the future.

Because children will need time, space and materials to work through these stressful times staff need to consider modifying their usual daily program. They also need to continue familiar routines to give children a sense of security. You will want to adapt the curriculum to focus on materials and activities that provide release from tension, props that children can use to reenact their experiences through dramatic play, and materials they can use to provide calm, relaxing activity. Such materials as sand and water play are helpful as are playing with clay. Music can be used either as a calming activity or as movement to provide emotional release. Be sure the children also have opportunities to participate in large muscle activities.(Farish, 1995)

Boy guarding his doll cradle Kindergarten, Middle East

Yes, helping children understand why earthquakes occur can be helpful. Use simple, accurate information books to help explain concepts. Ask children what they know about earthquakes and what they would like to know. The better able they are to understand the event, the better they can deal with it.

Here are a few activities that can help children understand the shifting of the earth:

Take walks to look at different rock strata that may have shifted during some earthquake in the past.

Make a pan of jello and after it has jelled have children shake it as an example of how the earth moves. Stack small marshmallows on top and help children notice how they fall over when the jello shakes.

One of the things that children fear most is that the earthquake will happen again and that more people will get hurt. With the help of the children, develop an emergency plan for the program and encourage families to make their own family plans. Children can relax when they know what they need to do to be safe.

Remember that some children may not show any outward signs of being upset by their recent experiences. They may never show distress because they do not feel upset. Others may not give evidence of being upset until several weeks or months after the event. Be sure to consult with local mental health professionals about any children who may need more help than you can give. If children exhibit changed behaviors for several weeks after an event, talk with the child’s parents and consider a referral to a mental health professional in your community.

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f you would like more ideas on working with children after an earthquake or other disaster you might want to order several of the resources listed on the resources page (Books for adults, children, websites, dvd and workbook). They give activity ideas to use with children as well as suggestions of other resources for teachers.

Remember that if you are prepared to work with children immediately following a disaster you can quickly start the process of helping children recover.

Staff training is available to help your program get prepared, know what to do and how to work most effectively with children after an earthquake or other disastrous event occurs. Staff training can be ordered by clicking on the Training Page then completing and sending the Training Registration Form to Disaster Training International.

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