Adults tend to have more control over their reactions to traumatic events than children. 

When adults experience a trauma such as sexual assault, natural disasters, or war, our first reaction is often to take care of ourselves and others. 

We find ways to cope and recover. Children, on the other hand, may not have the same coping mechanisms and support systems at their disposal. 

Their first reaction might be fear and terror as they struggle to understand what has happened to them or someone they love. 

This makes it all the more important for parents and caregivers to know how best to help children cope with trauma in order to promote healthy emotional growth. 

Read on for five ways you can help children cope with trauma in a supportive and healthy way. These strategies will also help you manage your own stress in the aftermath of a traumatic event.

Educate Children About Trauma

Children are often unaware of what trauma is, or how it might affect them in the long term. 

This can leave them feeling frustrated and confused, and might even affect their ability to heal.

A child who does not understand what trauma is might also not understand that there are ways to cope with it. 

This can result in increased anxiety and emotional outbursts. One way to help children cope with trauma is to educate them about the effects of trauma. 

This can help children gain a better understanding of what has happened to them, and how they can deal with it. 

You can also help children understand how trauma affects the human body and mind. 

This will help them to realize they are not alone in their reactions and that many people experience these reactions after traumatic events. 

Trauma counselors can explain this in a child-friendly way, but you can also use metaphors and examples that will help a child to better understand what trauma is.

Help Children Express Their Feelings

Children who are suffering from post-traumatic stress may also be dealing with emotional outbursts. 

This might take the form of temper tantrums, aggressive or destructive behavior, or excessive fears and anxieties. 

One way to help children cope with trauma is to help them manage their emotions in constructive ways. 

When children are experiencing painful emotions, it can be helpful for them to talk about how they feel and write about their feelings in a journal.

It can also be helpful to use art therapy to express what they are feeling. Helping children manage their emotions can help reduce aggressive or destructive behavior and can help them feel less ashamed of their feelings. 

This can help them to heal faster and reduce the risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder.

Allow Children to Participate in Recovery Activities

Children often want to help loved ones affected by trauma, but they might not know how. 

Reaching out and offering support can be difficult for children during a time of crisis. 

One way to help children cope with trauma is to allow them to participate in activities that promote recovery. 

This can help children feel like they are actively contributing to the healing process. 

For example, children can contribute by helping to make care packages for survivors of natural disasters or earthquake survivors, or they can help raise funds for organizations that support people who have experienced trauma.

Participating in these activities can help children express their feelings of compassion and contribute to the greater good, as well as develop a deeper understanding of how family and community can offer support in times of trauma. 

Don't Rush the Recovery Process

Children may often want to "get over" the trauma they have experienced as quickly as possible. 

It might seem like the sooner the better, but rushing the recovery process can actually be detrimental. 

This can leave children feeling dissatisfied with the progress they have made. 

One way to help children cope with trauma is to help them understand that recovery can take time. 

This can help them to manage their expectations. It can also help them to feel less anxious about the process. 

In turn, this can help children to be more open to therapy techniques and other ways of coping with the trauma they have experienced.

Help your child to acknowledge that sometimes trauma can take a long time to fade, and on occasions, it may return.  But that over time, they will regain their sense of security and safety. 

Help Children Build Resilience

Children who have experienced trauma are more likely to experience future traumatic events in their lives. 

This can be especially true for children who have been abused or neglected. 

One way to help children cope with trauma is to help them build resilience. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from challenges and experience minimal long-term effects. 

Building resilience can help children to recover from past trauma experiences and reduce their risk of facing future trauma. 

Helping children build resilience can include strategies such as helping them to increase their self-esteem and self-compassion, teaching them positive coping skills, and encouraging them to engage in healthy coping mechanisms such as exercise and meditation.

Conclusion

Children who are able to adapt to traumatic events will grow up to be more resilient adults. 

This is why it is so important to help children cope with trauma. 

You can do this by helping children understand what trauma is, helping them express their feelings, and allowing them to participate in activities that promote recovery. 

You can also help children build resilience to future traumatic events by providing them with a supportive environment and teaching them how to cope with their trauma.