Even very young children pick up on anxiety in adults, and many teenagers will be reading the news almost continually on their phones just now. The situation in Ukraine is upsetting for all of us, we watch the situation unfolding, feel helpless, and worry about where it might lead. One of the best antidotes to anxiety is action, and there are things teachers and parents can do to support young people. We’ve picked a few articles and places for support which we hope are helpful.

The Guardian has published a helpful article of expert tips on dealing with Ukraine anxiety in children.

We’d always recommend the wonderful BBC Newsround on issues like this. They have provided a helpful explainer of all the confusing vocabulary in the news just now. Here is a video for children with advice if they are upset by the news. There’s also an interesting video on How to spot misleading stories online about Ukraine crisis. Finally, why not spend some time focusing on some happy stories to redress the balance – an opportunity to talk with children about how we need to look after our own mental health and limit our exposure to negative stories perhaps.

Action For Children have written a helpful article for parents about how to support their children, but it could be equally useful for teachers.

Finally, BBC Children In Need have collated a list of further resources for parents, teachers and other adults too – plus a useful list of helplines which we reproduce below.

NSPCC Helpline:

0808 800 5000 Monday to Friday 8am – 10pm and 9am – 6pm at weekend

Childline:

0800 1111 call or message on a 1-1 chat from 9am – midnight

Mental Health Innovations:

24/7 text helpline SHOUT: text 85258