Climate Cafe: Talking to Children about Climate Change

Next date: Thursday, 24 September 2026 | 07:30 PM to 09:30 PM

At our September Climate Cafe we will be hearing from local psychologist, Dr Aimee Maxwell, on the topic of 'Talking to Children about Climate Change'.

Children are already encountering climate change information through school, social media, extreme weather, family conversations and the emotional atmosphere of the adults around them. Even when they do not fully understand what is happening, they may absorb the fear, urgency, anger or helplessness surrounding it.

How can adults speak honestly about climate change without overwhelming children? How do we respond when a child is frightened, angry, grieving or convinced that the future is already lost? And how can we support hope without offering false reassurance or placing responsibility for a global crisis onto young shoulders?

In this presentation, Dr Aimee Maxwell will explore how children understand climate change at different developmental stages and what helps them process difficult information. The session will consider climate anxiety, emotional regulation, age-appropriate honesty, the protective role of trusted adults and the difference between constructive action and burdening children with adult responsibility.

Participants will leave with practical language and principles for talking with children and young people in ways that are truthful, emotionally containing and appropriate to their age. The aim is not to shield children from reality, nor to ask them to carry it alone, but to help them develop the emotional resources, relationships and sense of agency needed to live meaningfully in a changing world.

Dr Aimee Maxwell is an Educational and Developmental psychologist based in Eltham. She works with children, families, educators and school leaders, with particular expertise in emotional regulation, developmental psychology, neurodiversity, psychological safety and the emotional demands of work and leadership.

Aimee’s work helps people engage with difficult realities without becoming overwhelmed, avoidant or falsely reassured. She brings a developmental, evidence-informed and deeply human approach to questions about how adults support children through uncertainty, distress and social change.

As always, everyone is welcome. If you'd like to come early and join us for a meal, please do. You're also welcome to just come along for the talk and discussion. We look forward to seeing you there!

When

Location

Platform 3095 Cafe, 965 Main Road, Eltham, 3095, View map