Children Also Grieve

Often, we hear adults say “children are resilient, they’ll be fine!”

The truth is, if you are feeling sad, mad, frustrated or lonely as an adult due to the death of a loved one; more than likely your children are, too.

Yes, children can be resilient given the right tools.

We just finished our 10 weeks of fall Pre-K here at The WARM Place. What a joy it is to see the faces of our 3 ½- 5-year old’s enter our hallways. Our fabulous facilitators work with the children each week on concepts such as fear, worry, identifying feelings and memories. These are concepts the Pre-K population is capable of understanding during times of loss.

One frequently asked question from Pre-K caregivers is: “How can I preserve memories in the minds of my children?” They often worry the children will not remember their loved one who died.

Listening and being present is most important along with open expressions of feelings, thoughts and honesty. Telling stories gives children glimpses of who their loved one is. Talking about their loved one and adding them to everyday conversation helps children engage and remember. Celebrating special days and holidays or making any day a special time to reflect includes the children in holding onto their memory. Our Pre-K children decorated and tied yellow ribbons in memory of their loved ones around the trees in our backyard. Creating a scrapbook, writing and drawing, as well as preserving photos, are great ways to involve children.

One of the activities we added this fall was a “family photo frame” decorating activity. We invited parents and caregivers to join the children in the fun. Together they designed a beautiful expression of love for their photo. It was a treat to see the children so proud of their very own work. The adults also enjoyed the time. Take a look at some moments we captured.