Everyday strategies for educators to support students experiencing trauma.
Trauma can have a detrimental impact on students’ functioning in the school setting. Educators need tools to identify and support students who may have experienced or are currently experiencing traumatic stress. It is important to note that children can respond to trauma in many different ways and may not exhibit all of these symptoms. You can use this list to guide your thinking in identifying students who may have experienced trauma and providing or referring students to appropriate supports.
As schools transition back to full-time in-person instruction post the emergency phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important for educators to consider the historical impact of the pandemic on their students’ social emotional well-being and academic functioning.
With that said, educators can support their students with social relationships and transitions in the following ways:
Strive to establish student/staff relationships (e.g., learn the names of students at your school site, even those that are not in your class roster/caseload).
Teach and Review Classroom and School Expectations and Routines. Firmly establish and positively reinforce students’ understanding and follow-through of these routines and expectations as a priority before introducing them to new academic material.
Provide students with opportunities to work cooperatively, engage in dialogue in a safe space, and feel empowered (e.g., conducting restorative circle activities with students, having students work together on a recycling project, planting/working in a community garden).
Allow students to voice their needs, concerns, challenges, and opinions.
Provide structure and routine: Educators can work with parents to ensure that students have proper structure and routine—a critical need for students who experience trauma. One strategy is to work with families to build daily schedules that combine academic enrichment (e.g., reading, practicing math), physical exercise, and entertainment. Educators can also promote structure on a macro-level by organizing learning opportunities that follow a consistent and familiar structure for students, such as a daily school schedule.
Promote a sense of control: Students' resiliency increases when we help them increase their locus of control—the extent to which they feel in control of their own lives. To do so, educators can work with students to identify ways they can control their own lives—staying healthy (e.g., choosing and eating healthy foods, asking for a break when necessary), managing their emotions (e.g., practicing mindfulness), and staying connected to others (e.g., connecting and engaging in conversation and play with friends during recess and with relatives by phone or video chat).
Provide emotional check-ins: Educators should provide students with emotional check-in opportunities (e.g., using the mood meter; source: National Association for the Education of Young Children, NAEYC) and validate students' feelings. Educators should praise students for using relaxation or coping strategies. In addition, educators can follow up with students who endorse negative emotions, especially if they are noticing that this is becoming a pattern, and discuss appropriate coping responses and strategies to use in such situations.
Strengthen self-regulation skills: Students (and adults) can develop skills to regulate their own emotions. As with any type of skill, self-regulation skills need to be learned, practiced, and then practiced some more to achieve mastery. These skills include mindfulness, breathing exercises, physical exercises, active journaling, and yoga. Educators can guide and practice these skills with students using various games and activities(source: Stop, Breathe, & Think) during designated periods in the classroom. Educators can also refer students and families to various apps and games; for example, see this collection from Common Sense. Educators can also help parents and caregivers make an at-home schedule with various activities to practice these skills with their children; see this blog post from the Children's Hospital of Orange County on how parents can schedule and spend one week focusing on building these skills with their children.
Supporting Students Experiencing Childhood Trauma: Tips for Parents and Educators
Resources for Responding to Trauma and Tragedy
Responding to Trauma in Your Classroom
Supporting Students with Adverse Childhood Experiences: How Educators and Schools Can Help
Helping Students Through a Period of Grief
Resources for your students by grade level:
Resources for parents and caregivers: