As early as preschool, kids’ schools routinely hold intruder, active shooter, or lockdown drills. If you’re a parent, hearing about these drills can feel infuriating, anxiety-inducing, depressing, or maybe even reassuring in a way.
To many kids these days, school lockdown drills are just a fact of life. But depending on their age and temperament, they may be worried (or not), or have a lot of questions (or not).
In a very young kid’s mind, intruder drills are often very similar to routine fire drills, and may even be called something like the “quiet game” at school — so kids may not even associate them with danger yet. But for older kids, the lockdown drills may be more involved and can bring up scary images of things they’ve seen in the news. You can always ask teachers and administrators for more information about how it works in your school or how your child responds.
Even if kids are already used to participating in school lockdown drills, it’s still a good idea to discuss it with them and open up the lines of communication. You never know what feelings these drills may bring up — now or in the future.
Here’s what you can say, based on kids’ ages. You don’t need to give them more information (or emotional baggage) than they’re ready for, but you can help them feel safe and prepared.
But first, make sure you’re feeling calm and open before starting this conversation — even if you have strong feelings about the subject. If you act scared or anxious about it, they’ll take a cue from you.
When kids do have questions, answer them honestly but without the graphic or frightening details. First find out how much they have heard, just like with any discussion about scary or violent news.
How to talk to preschoolers about safety drills
“At school, do you ever do a ‘silent game’ or safety drill where you have to stay very quiet and line up or sit down? Can you show me how it works?
You must have been paying attention — that’s so great! When you follow directions and stay silent at those times, your teachers can do their jobs to make sure everyone is safe.”
How to talk to kids in grades K-2 about safety drills
“At school, do you ever do a safety drill where you have to stay quiet and line up or sit down? How does it work?
You must have been paying attention — that’s great! When you stay quiet and follow directions during those drills, your teachers can do their jobs to make sure everyone stays safe, in case there is an emergency.
A real emergency in school is not likely to happen at all. It’s just something that teachers and students have to practice so they know what to do and can stay calm, just in case.
If you have any questions or want to talk about it, you can ask me anytime.”
How to talk to kids in grades 3-5 about lockdown drills
“Have you done any safety or emergency drills lately? How do those usually go for you?
Probably nothing dangerous will ever happen at school. But I want to make sure you know that the teachers and other adults in the building are doing everything they can to keep you safe, just in case of emergency. The drills are part of that practice.
If you have any questions or want to talk about it, you can ask me anytime.”
How to talk to teens/tweens about school lockdown drills
“Have you done any lockdown drills lately? How do you and your friends usually feel about those?
I want you to know that school is actually one of the safest places you could be, despite some of the disturbing things you may hear in the news and social media.
The drills are just practice so that you and your teachers know exactly what to do and how to stay calm in case there’s ever an emergency. We do safety drills/training at work too.
If you ever have questions or just want to vent about it, I’m here — anytime!”
