Russia's daily military invasion of Ukraine.

How should children perceive and think about what is happening now?

Learning has begun at school.

Approximately 40 fourth-year high school students attended the class held on the 4th at the Gokase Secondary School, a prefectural integrated junior and senior high school in Gokase Town, Miyazaki Prefecture.



Two teachers, geography and world history, jointly taught about Ukraine, which is unfamiliar to the students, from their respective perspectives.

Students learned that Ukraine is one of the world's leading wheat producing regions and is called the "European bread basket" and that it has a geopolitical location in the Mediterranean Sea, such as through the Bosphorus Strait.



After learning that it is one of the leading industrial areas of the former Soviet Union and that there are ethnic differences between the eastern and western parts, each group discussed how they think it is connected to what is happening now. rice field.



At the end, we discussed the themes we wanted to investigate in the future, and the students asked us why it was a military invasion.



One of the students said, "I thought it was someone else's affair somewhere far away, but it was a class that gave me a hint as to how to think about this problem."



Geography teacher Seiya Ueda, who gave the lesson, said, "I want you to always keep an antenna on what is happening in the world, to acquire basic knowledge and to develop the ability to think, and to take action when you go out into society. I was talking.

Ask an expert how to deal with your child

Information on the tense situation in Ukraine is sent out every day on TV and SNS.


We asked experts about how adults should deal with their children.

“Dialogue with children without avoiding topics”

Professor Atsushi Shigemura of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Mejiro University, who is familiar with the effects of disasters and wars on people's hearts, said, "You may think that you don't want to touch it too much, but this is not just a problem in Ukraine, but a problem in the world as a whole. Also, children think for themselves and have feelings of sadness and anger. Adults should not avoid the topic of Ukraine and talk with them firmly first. " It points out the importance of that.

"Gentle and say I don't know what I don't understand"

On top of that, when talking to children about war, it is important to


check how well the child knows the situation, and


to hear what the child feels, such as anger, sadness, and anxiety. ..



Professor Shigemura said, "Children's emotions are not always the same as adults. Try to be calm and listen calmly to your child's opinions. Even if you don't understand what your child has asked, you can never cheat. Instead, I want you to be sure that this problem is a complicated problem that even adults may not understand. "

Valuing children's actions and intentions

What should I do if my child says "I want to do something I can do" during a conversation?



Professor Shigemura said, "I want you to cherish your child's thoughts. In addition to participating in fund-raising activities, investigating and thinking about this issue, and spreading it around, is a good act that even children can do. There is. "

Small children and people with trauma Be careful not to overlook the media

On the other hand, professor Shigemura says that there are some points to be aware of, especially for small children and people with trauma, as there are some videos that can be difficult to watch on TV and SNS.



According to some studies, the longer the media contact during the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States, the deeper the trauma to the heart.



The points to note are 1 "while watching", 2 "long time", and 3 "repetition".



It is necessary to be careful because "watching while watching" leads to repeatedly seeing images of the war without being aware of it.



Professor Shigemura said, "Young children may feel that danger is imminent not only in Ukraine but also in all regions overseas, and they may have excessive fear and anxiety. It is necessary to take measures such as deciding the time to interact with the media. I was talking.