Supporting Preschoolers Whose Families Are Dealing with Stressful Situations

When we discuss mental health and preschoolers, we consider ways to help them grow in mentally healthy ways and learn to deal with difficult issues in age-appropriate ways. What can a preschool leader do when it comes to supporting preschoolers whose families are dealing with stressful situations?

In this blog, we’ll review three key strategies for providing general overarching support. And in future blogs in this series, we’ll cover specific situations such as divorce, serious illness, a death in the family, moving, and blended families.

As you help preschoolers and families who are dealing with stressful situations, there are three key strategies to provide support.

Be Available

To truly help someone you must be available. For preschoolers, this means being available to them in a manner they can physically see.

- Physically get down on their level. Sit with them, play with them, swing with them, and so on. Be on their eye level as you engage with them.
- Be in their space. Show interest in what they are interested in and be intentional with your focus.

Be a Good Listener

Being a good listener requires more than simply hearing and understanding what is spoken.

- Carefully listen to what is shared with you. Make note of the details — circumstances, behaviors, people, etc.
- Listen without judgement or opinion. When you are with a parent, showing honest care without judgement can help the parent trust that you will do the same for their child. When you are with a preschooler, listening without judgement will encourage the child to trust you and be more open to your assistance.
- While listening, encourage preschoolers to share their feelings. Ask why they feel a certain way. They may share reasons that can help you customize your assistance.
- Listen with your body as well as your ears. Make eye contact if possible. Keep your facial expressions clear and filled with care. Direct your whole attention to the parent or child. Do not be distracted by objects or others when you are listening to a sharing person.
- Listen beyond their words. What are their actions telling you? Are they feeling frustration, fear, anger, sadness, loneliness, or vulnerability? Adults and children may not be able to articulate everything they are feeling, so their actions may speak louder than their words.

Love Them Like Jesus Loves Us

Jesus loves us no matter what. While it can be hard for us imperfect people to love with that same godly love, we must always strive to do so.

- Love preschoolers and their parents for how they are right now. Stress may have their emotions and behaviors out of sync with “the norms,” so just love them like Jesus loves us. He met lepers who were leprous, blind people who could not see, and demon-possessed people in the midst of possession and loved them. Then He invested in them, touched them, healed them, and called them to follow.
- Love them right where they are, wherever you encounter them. This may be in your classroom, the grocery store, or anywhere else in the community. Notice them, identify that you know them, and show caring to them wherever you see them. Show that your love for them is consistent regardless of the situation or location.
- If they should wonder why you love them or if you will always love them, assure them that Jesus shared His love with you so you can share it with them.