Going through a divorce can be a very stressful time, and if you have children, you’ll want to protect them too. To support your children through this difficult process, focus on the following tips.

If you and your partner are separating you’ll need to have an honest discussion with your children. It can be difficult to talk to young children, your kids may be too young to fully understand what’s going on. Regardless, you’ll still need some way to express the change to your kids, for example, you might like to use storybooks or toys? It will be a difficult conversation, but it’s also the first step towards supporting your children.

Your children may be feeling sad, angry, or stressed, and this is totally normal. The best thing to do is to encourage your children to open up. Ask them what they are worried about in particular. They might be worried about having to move home, they may have concerns about who’s ‘fault’ it is. Spend time addressing all of your child’s concerns, and reassuring them as much as possible.

If you are going through a divorce it can be a good idea to chat to your child’s teachers. Let them know what is going on, ask them if there’s been a change in your child’s behavior. As long as your child’s teacher knows what’s going on you can work together to support your kid. If your child starts acting out and their teacher doesn’t understand the situation, this could end up causing problems.

Some divorces are civil while others involve a lot of conflict, it all depends on the situation. If there’s any conflict at home, try to shield your child from this as much as possible. Avoid discussing sensitive issues in front of them, try to keep things as normal as possible at home. To support you through this hard time you’ll need the help of a great family lawyer. When you’re choosing a family lawyer it’s important to choose a service with an excellent reputation and lots of experience. You can also find specialist family lawyers depending on your circumstances and profession, for example, family solicitors for police officers.

If your kids are feeling stressed out you’ll need to offer plenty of stress coping tactics. With the right strategies you’ll encourage positivity in your children, and help them to unwind. Here are some ideas that you might like to try out:

Meditation, mindfulness, and yoga for kids.

Plenty of outdoor play and spending time in nature.

Spending time with friends.

Writing in a journal or reading books.

Baths or relaxing music.

Supporting your kids through a divorce isn’t easy, but with the help of these five tips, you can ease the process. Remember to check in with your kids regularly, they might not always want to talk about their feelings, but it’s best to try anyway.