Death is a mystery and a puzzle to all of us. The grieving process is unique and diverse among children who have lost a significant other. These responses to grief might harm how they deal with loss as adults.
Even though everyone deals with the grief process uniquely, there are a variety of creative activities for coping with loss that can assist kids in processing their complex emotions. Our grief experts put together 20 such grief activities.
1. Creating a Memory Box
Children may connect particular items, such as clothing or images, to loved ones and the memories made together. A memory box serves as a safe place for children to preserve favorite family memories associated with a deceased family member or friend, allowing them to feel close to that person whenever they like.
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2. Constructing a Memory Bracelet
Kids may associate particular items used in this pastime with their beloved adult. In this instance, the bracelet is explicitly designed to maintain the tie with the departed. Give the kid the freedom to select which beads and colors they’d like to use.
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3. Composing a Letter
Most young kids don’t understand why they are unable to converse with the dead. Talking to children about grief might be difficult, but you can help them by encouraging them to write letters to those who have passed on. Writing is a symbolic and constructive way to express one’s feelings- particularly if the death was untimely and there wasn’t a chance to bid farewell.
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4. Complete the Sentence
It could be challenging for some kids to express their feelings and thoughts regarding loss. The child’s curiosity is encouraged by this activity, which also promotes the usage of terminology related to loss. The objective at hand is to create open-ended sentences for the kid to complete. Consider the statement, “If I could speak with…. I would say…”
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5. Journaling
Writing as a form of release is extremely beneficial for kids. It makes it possible for people to express their thoughts without speaking out, which can be challenging for many young people. Through writing, they will be able to unwind and minimize their emotional weight.
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6. Matching Emotions
Young children need help developing a vocabulary for describing their feelings and grief experience. The activity of matching emotional words with action words, such as sadness and crying, or matching emotional words with photos of people expressing those sentiments, are practical ways to practice the language.
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7. Reading Books on Grief
Children may be able to connect with their loved ones or their situation by reading books focused on grief that confront grief-related themes and emotions. These books about grief may inspire children to discuss and inquire about their own responses to loss.
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8. Solving a Grief Maze
We can compare the route of grief to the network of passages and connecting pathways in a maze. A youngster could experience challenging feelings and emotions without the words to communicate and negotiate their grief process. Children can better organize and recognize their sensations and thoughts by navigating mazes.
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9. Making an Acrostic
A child can write a short poem about the person who died by using the initial letter of their first name and a word that starts with that same letter. For instance, the name Alden may conjure up the adjectives Awesome, Lovable, Daring, Exciting, and Nice to express the personality or spirit of the departed.
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10. Creating a Souvenir
Have the child make an item to carry or wear to remember the departed. For instance, kids might paint a small rock, weave beads together to make a bracelet, or dry flowers, among other crafts.
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11. Scream Time
We advise scream time over screen time! Usually, we prevent children from having tantrums, but in this instance, you should encourage them to scream loudly and for a long time. For elementary-aged children, expressing any repressed anger, fear, or sadness can be cathartic and a helpful way to cope with loss.
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12. Writing Letters to the Deceased
Even if you know, the recipient will never read your letters, writing them might still make you feel a connection to them. As a creative grieving exercise, writing a letter enables them to use their words to convey how much they miss their loved one or to inform them of what has occurred since their passing.
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13. Expressing Gratitude
It is easy to forget about the positive aspects of your life when you are in difficult situations. When facing our darkest moments, it is crucial to appreciate the positive aspects. It can be helpful to keep perspective and is an excellent daily mourning practice for kids to engage in a moment to express gratitude for people and the good things in their lives.
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14. Exercising
Exercise is an excellent way for families to deal with sorrow since it helps to cleanse the mind and release feel-good hormones in our brains. When we experience challenging situations, we must take care of our bodies through activity. Throwing the football in your garden or shooting hoops provide proper exercise.
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15. Making a Thumball
Statements, sentences, or questions are uniformly distributed around a spherical ball. When someone catches the ball that has been flung around in a circle, they peek under their right thumb to see which question is closest and respond to that question. You may encourage children to open up and share knowledge by giving them a thumball.
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16. Creating a Playlist
Many times, music can convey our feelings more effectively than we can. Ask each family member to choose a song that has particular value for them. It might be music that expresses their emotions or brings to mind the departed.
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17. Ripping Paper
Children can easily express their difficult-to-process emotions by “tearing up” as a simple grief and loss activity. First, ask the youngster to express their feelings on a piece of paper. As an alternative, students may illustrate their emotions. The paper should then be torn to pieces by them.
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18. Collaging
Making a collage is frequently a method for encouraging a child to use free association. When they find color pictures they like, they cut them out and paste them onto a collage. Then, invite the youngster to discuss the items they decided to include and describe what they perceive from their collage.
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19. Releasing Balloons
Children can imagine delivering a message to a loved one by releasing the balloons into the air. It also represents the expulsion of your emotions and feelings. Before releasing the balloons into the air, kids can write messages on them.
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20. Kimochi Dolls
“Kimochi” is the Japanese word for feeling. These dolls come in various forms (cat, octopus, cloud, bird, butterfly, etc.) and have little “feeling pillows” that a youngster can place into the animal’s pouch. To encourage the kids to express themselves more positively, you can use these dolls as a tool to connect, communicate, create, and learn to identify feelings.
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