St Mary's Primary School Bellingen
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20 Park Street
Bellingen NSW 2454
Subscribe: https://smpsbellingen.schoolzineplus.com/subscribe

Email: bellp@lism.catholic.edu.au
Phone: 02 6655 1432

Wellbeing resources and strategies to support families at home

Thank you for your patience as we have worked through the unknown of the recent weather event. We are including wellbeing resources and strategies to support families at home. If you require additional information or feel that your child requires additional support please contact the school office.

  1. Monitor media exposure
    Children can become anxious after listening to or watching repeated stories about weather events. Limit their exposure to news and other programs with potentially distressing images and sounds.
  2. Listen to understand how they are feeling and thinking
    Gently encourage (but don’t force) children to talk about their thoughts and feelings. Reassure them that their emotions are normal. Be prepared for them to ask the same questions repeatedly as they try to process events. Stay patient, offering simple, honest, and thoughtful explanations that help them build a realistic understanding. If they have any misconceptions about the situation or potential risks, gently correct them with clear and accurate information.
  3. Provide children with opportunities to express their feelings
     Children need comfort, reassurance and support, and to know that they are safe and are being looked after. Conversation starters:
    • ‘The weather forecast says there might be heavy rain and winds, so we are getting ready to keep everyone safe.’
    • ‘We have a plan to keep safe.’
    • ‘How can I help you feel better?’
    • ‘It’s okay to feel worried. Want to talk about it?’
  4. If your family has had previous experience of an extreme weather event?
    Children are best supported when somebody important to them knows how they are feeling. Nurture your family with time and attention and be ready to have open, age-appropriate conversations about what they are thinking and feeling and how they are responding to talk about a weather event.    You might try conversation starters like:
    • ‘I notice you seem a little quieter/more anxious/a bit edgier) than usual. I wonder why that  is?’
    • ‘People seem to be talking a lot more about a weather event again. How is that making you feel?’
    • ‘I can see you are feeling a bit worried about the rain as it might be reminding you of when we were flooded. It could be a while before we feel completely safe in wet weather, but why don’t we just snuggle together and do a jigsaw/watch a movie/play a game to  help ourselves feel better.’
    • ‘What would help you feel calmer right now?’
  5. Be aware of how you talk in their presence
    Shield children from in-depth adult discussion about these events, especially if they cannot join in at their own age or stage of development.

    Children may respond to the anxieties felt and expressed by the people around them. They often see and hear far more than adults are aware of, and they will take their cues for how to respond from you.  Signs that your child has been negatively affected by information about a weather event might include:
    • becoming clingy towards a parent or carer.
    • changes to sleeping or eating patterns, or both
    • the emergence of new physical complaints – such as stomach ache or headache.
    • changes in mood – such as being more easily irritable, or shutting down
    • appearing on edge and frightened.
  6. Increasing Sense of Safety
    Focus on how you are keeping your child and their loved ones, including pets, safe during the event. Show them the preparations you’ve made—such as candles for a power outage or securing loose items outside—so they can see proactive steps being taken. This can help them feel more protected. Talk with them about simple ways they can manage their worries, like cuddling with a loved one, wearing headphones to block out loud wind, or soothing a pet. Giving them their own plan of action increases their sense of control and helps reduce anxiety.

    Prayer, meditation and practising deep breathing can all help children find calm amidst anxious feelings. Try these activities with your child to help find comfort and a release from feelings of worry.

    Accept your child's responses, reactions and feelings. Don’t tell them to ‘stop being silly’, or to ‘be brave’. Do not make behavioural or emotional demands or have expectations the child might not be able to meet at this particular time.
  7. Understanding Real Word Events - Birdie's Tree
    You may like to use the Queensland Health Birdie Resources: