Many students find school a haven amidst turmoil in their lives. Youth coping with the deployment of a parent have one more critical change to handle. Find information, videos and activities to support your work with this unique population.
Typical Student BehaviorsDiscover common reactions children of various ages have to a parent's deploymentChildren tend to react to a parent's deployment in certain predictable ways. Learn behaviors you can expect to see in your students as they go through a deployment.Ideas to Help Students CopeFind strategies to help children of all ages cope with the challenges of a deploymentMany students use school and their school relationships to help them cope with the challenges of a parent's deployment. Through lesson plans, counseling groups and school-wide activities, find ways to make your school supportive of military students.Military Youth Coping with SeparationListen to real kids share their thoughts and feelings about deploymentDr. Keith Lemmon, a military pediatrician, interviewed military youth coping with a deployment and captured their real-life experiences on film. The video and related group materials are useful both for personal awareness and professional viewing with students or teachers.Stress Management PlanTeens can make a stress-reduction plan for coping with deployments or any life stressLearning ways of coping with stress is useful for everyone. This stress management tool is designed for military youth coping with a deployment, but anyone can fill in their own stressors and learn great coping strategies as they make a personalized plan.Stress DetectiveKids learn about the impact of stress on the body in this fun, interactive activityChildren may not understand how stress can impact their body and behavior. In this engaging activity, kids learn about the body's reaction to stress and make their own stress management plan.Tough TopicsExplore material for children and parents on grief and injuries of warMilitary youth may have to cope with the injury or even the death of a deployed loved one. Explore a wide variety of marerials designed for both children and parents who are coping with these difficult life experiences.