Kids and Deployments

Ways to help kids through a deployment/underway

• Make chains or countdown calendars

• Frame a picture of your deployed sailor, and encourage your child to bring it to dinner, take it in the car, keep it next to the bed. Use it as a surrogate mom or dad when they need some reassurance

• Make sure that there are lots of photos of your deployed sailor all over the house

• Be sure to talk it out with your kids, and know that crying is okay.

• Make sure to talk about your sailor- and keep track of activities for them. Say 'Let's take pictures of this for Daddy so he knows what your schoolplay was like!'

• Make lotsof cards and pictures for your sailor together and ship them via maildrop, or save them for his/her return

• Keep them busy, and acknowledge their feelings about missing their loved one

• Take lots of pictures together

• Get the kids involved in helping with family readiness meetings, or help make care packages to send to your sailor, or other deployed sailors. Sometimes it can help when they think about other sailors who don't have family to send them goodies, and they can focus on sharing with others. Lots of times mom or dad can pas things out if you send care packages for the division, etc. while they ar eout on deployment

• Bake cookies, brownies in a jar, etc to send to your sailor. Its a great activity, and your sailor gets goodies!

Help Children Cope with Deployment

Surviving Deployment (Great resource, even has printable sheets for kids)

Helping Children Survive Deployments 

 http://www.survivingdeployment.com/helpchildrenhandle.html