Active, Positive, and Expressive Activities That Foster Students’ Adaptive Coping and Processing

Abstract

Considering the healing power of giving, schools should first lead students to observe and celebrate others’ efforts (e.g., the heroic acts of courageous people following the September 11 attack) and then encourage students to plan and participate in volunteering activities or other tasks that contribute to the class, school, or community. Schools should devise ways to foster prosocial action that suits the situation, location, budget, and student ages. Students can participate in fundraising and donation events such as making and selling home-baked cookies, hand-drawn banners, or teddy bears with personal notes about the disaster victims attached. In certain disasters, like during a flood, children can become actively involved in simple tasks such as becoming messengers and refreshment bringers to the rescue team. When dealing with the death of a classmate or teacher, students can become involved in making a class scrapbook or memorial wall.