New Free Guide Offers African American Families Help To Cope With Crises
The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) have developed the "Activity Book for African American Families: Helping Children Cope with Crisis," an important new resource to help African American families support their children in times of stress or crisis.
The "Activity Book" was developed by the African American Parents' Project, a collaboration between families, professional organizations, and leaders of national African American organizations, to provide African American families and communities with activities and resources to comfort their children in times of crisis.
The project, begun shortly after the September 11th terrorist attacks, is designed to help African American families console their children who may become frightened by repeated media coverage of terrorism, war, and violence, and instill in them a sense of safety.
Duane Alexander, M.D., director of the NICHD, said, "This activity book is designed to empower families to address everyday hardships and also to strengthen families for times of major crisis."
In developing this booklet, the NICHD and the NBCDI listened to parents' concerns and suggestions about what they needed to help their children cope with crisis situations. A number of African American organizations provided their expertise and assistance in developing the workbook and are committed to helping promote it.
The book's activities are designed to work well with children ages 12 and under by helping parents communicate with their children to strengthen the family and help children feel safe. Activities help parents talk with children about emotions -- to find ways to express thoughts and feelings that might be hard to say out loud. The activities also highlight important values, such as family, honesty, and spirituality, which can strengthen children from within.
Many of the activities tap into children's creativity -- drawing, coloring, singing, gardening -- which encourage children to let others know what's going on inside them in a safe, controlled way. Other activities encourage parents and children to read a poem or a story, or listen to a song as a way of refocusing children's attention on calming thoughts.
The "Activity Book" contains specific advice for parents about how to:
- Encourage their child to feel hopeful about the future
- Listen to their child
- Comfort their child
- Help their child feel good about him or herself
- Help their child feel safe
- Give their child information that is appropriate for her/his age
- Make a plan with their child for emergencies
- Share their faith with their child
The "Activity Book for African American Families" is free and can be ordered through the NICHD Web site http://www.nichd.nih.gov/ or by calling the NICHD Information Resource Center at 1-800-370-2943 or via e-mail at NICHDInformationResourceCenter@mail.nih.gov.
Information on Helping Children Cope with Crisis is also available on the National Black Child Development Institute Web site at http://www.nbcdi.org/.
