None of us intend to cause or allow a child to get hurt emotionally. Ideally, when a child comes to our classroom, we want them to feel safe to make friends with other children and trust the leaders. Above all, we want to create a safe haven where children can come to explore the mysteries of God, and discover his goodness.
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Use these simple tips to help you create an emotionally safe environment in your children's and youth ministry.
What to Avoid
- Ignoring. Whether physically or psychologically, the parent or caregiver is not present to respond to the child. A child feels ignored when his teacher fails to make eye contact or call him by name.
- Rejecting. This is an active refusal to respond to a child's needs (e.g., refusing to touch a child, denying the needs of a child, ridiculing a child).
- Verbally assaulting. Children feel verbally assaulted if they are belittled, shamed, ridiculed or verbally threatened.
- Neglecting the child. This abuse may include educational neglect, where a parent or caregiver fails or refuses to provide the child with necessary educational services; mental health neglect, which denies or ignores a child's need for treatment for psychological problems; or medical neglect, in which a parent or caregiver denies or ignores a child's need for treatment for medical problems.
