Something has happened and they are asking
You need the right words today, not after research.
Courses
See what you would learn
Talk to a child about death, illness, money or the news without frightening them.
A course on explaining difficult things to children. It covers what children of different ages can understand, how to be honest without overwhelming them, and how to handle the questions that follow.
Open Cadence on the App Store, type the sentence when it asks what you want to learn, and answer a few setup questions. Free to start. Android testers can request early access.
Type this when Cadence asks what you want to learn
I want to explain difficult things to a child, like death, illness, money worries or the news, in a way that is honest and does not frighten them.
Change any word so it fits your situation. The course is built from what you type and a few setup questions.
- Best for
- Family
- Prerequisites
- None. Bring the situation you have.
- Course length
- 7 to 30 lessons, sized to your goal
- Lesson pace
- About 10 minutes a day
- Format
- Read it, or play the audio
- Access
- Available on the App Store, with early features and Android testing access
Before the course is built
Setup asks about your situation first.
Lesson 1 opens on the moment you describe, and the examples use your role. For this request, expect questions like these.
- What do you need to explain, and how old is the child?
- Is it happening now, or something you want to be ready for?
- What worries you: saying too much, too little, or getting upset yourself?
Right for now
If any of this sounds familiar, start here.
You avoid the topic
And they are learning about it from somewhere else.
You do not know what they can handle
Honesty and protection feel opposed.
Course arc
Where the course goes, in order.
Cadence writes the lessons for you, so the exact path follows your answers. This is the ground a course built from this sentence covers.
01 / 06What children understand
Death, illness, money and danger, by age.
Honest and simple
Short truthful answers, and why euphemisms confuse.
Following their lead
Answering what they asked and waiting for the next question.
Your own feelings
Being upset in front of a child, and why it can help.
The news and the world
Talking about frightening events without amplifying them.
Keeping the conversation open
Making hard topics normal so they keep coming to you.
What changes
What you will be able to do, and what you will stop believing.
You will be able to
Match the explanation to the age
Know what a child of a given age can understand and needs.
Be honest and calm
Tell the truth simply, without more than they asked for.
Handle what follows
Answer the questions that come later, including the hard ones.
Ideas this course corrects
Children should be protected from hard truths
Children sense something is wrong. Honest, simple information is less frightening than silence.
You need the perfect words
You need honest words and a calm presence. Children forgive imperfect phrasing.
Course questions
What to know before you start.
Is this a fixed course?
No. Cadence builds the course when you type the sentence and answer a few setup questions, so the lessons follow your situation. This page describes what a course built from this request covers. You see the whole path before Lesson 1.
Who is this course for?
A course on explaining difficult things to children. It covers what children of different ages can understand, how to be honest without overwhelming them, and how to handle the questions that follow. It sits under Family in the Life & growth part of the library.
Do I need any prior experience?
No. Setup asks what you already know and where you want to use it, and the course starts from there. Bring a real situation if you have one; the examples are built around it.
How long does it take?
Courses run 7 to 30 lessons of about 10 minutes, sized to what you asked for. One lesson a day is the intended pace, and you can go faster. Lessons can be read or played as audio.
Does this course award a certificate or degree?
No. Cadence is for practical self-learning and does not award accredited degrees or professional certification.
Start today
Type it, answer a few questions, open Lesson 1.
The sentence to type
I want to explain difficult things to a child, like death, illness, money worries or the news, in a way that is honest and does not frighten them.
Open Cadence on the App Store, type the sentence when it asks what you want to learn, and answer a few setup questions. Free to start. Android testers can request early access.