The halls at The WARM Place will soon be filled with our littlest grieving hearts. Our Fall Pre-K Grief Support Group starts on September 13th. If you have a grieving child between the ages of 3 ½ to 5, this group may be what you are looking for! We are so excited that this session of our Pre-K group will meet for 10 weeks rather than our usual 8 weeks.
Children within this age range do not yet understand the finality of death. However, they can learn and understand some of the biology behind death. At The WARM Place we begin teaching children these basic concepts along with feeling words to help them communicate their feelings and memories. Many young children are often overlooked because their grief does not look the same as older children or adults. But we know even the littlest grievers can experience intense dreams, physical complaints, and regressive behaviors when they are grieving. It is also common for them to ask repetitive questions as they are trying to make sense of the loss. Fears are also common at this age. Therefore, it is especially helpful for the children to have a safe place where they can process these emotions and learn coping skills. You can learn more about how children grieve on our new resources pages.
The children in our Pre-K Group learn important concepts while engaging in “their” language: play. They do many fun and interactive activities, including going outside, utilizing play-doh and bubbles, and closing the group with The Frog Song. There is much laughter, silliness, and sharing when the Pre-K groups are in session. From the very beginning, our youngest grievers learn it is okay to grieve.
While the children are in their group, we offer a Parent/Caregiver group that meets at the same time. Within this group, we empower the caring adults to learn skills that will provide ongoing support to their grieving child during future developmental stages.
The PreK group meets for one hour, once a week, for 10 weeks. This is our only group that meets during the day, from Noon to 1:00 pm. An intake appointment is required before anyone can begin attending groups. For more information about the PreK Group, please contact gina@thewarmplace.org. If you are ready to sign up for an intake appointment, call The WARM Place today at 817-870-2272.
