For children and teens
Grief Kits
Child & Teen Grief Kits
These backpacks contain various sensory items designed to help children and teens express their feelings and thoughts about grief and loss. It offers physical, emotional, spiritual and mental comfort creating space to discuss the death of loved one when a child is ready. Each item has been thoughtfully selected with a specific purpose in mind.
- How I Feel: A Coloring Book for Grieving Children: Each page features images and words that reflect common feelings of shock, numbness, fear, anger and sadness that a child may experience. The pages normalize and validate emotions while offering healthy coping techniques. Children can choose to color the pages in order, out of order or not at all. An adult can support by reading the content to the child while ensuring that the child sets the pace.
- Crayons: Each color represents different feelings
- Small Stuffed Animals: Helps promote physical/emotional comfort
- Playdough: Working with soft playdough can provide a holding space/environment for using colors, shapes and images to express feelings and thoughts.
- Bracelet Materials: Creating a bracelet can be a way to connect with a loved one or may be a way to express feelings through the colors chosen.
- My Grief Rights: For Kids by Center for Loss & Life Transition booklet: Provides the child with “permission” to feel a wide range of emotions and to recognize that these are “normal”
- Fidget Poppers: Uses tactile movement/motion to channel extra energy into fingers, which can alleviate anxiety and redirect attention and focus
- Wooden Photo Frame: Provides a memorial activity where the child can decorate a photo frame using stickers and/or other art materials. Choose a photo of the child with the loved one as a positive memory keepsake for display.
- Squeeze Ball: Helps grievers release tension and stress by providing a physical outlet through squeezing with their hands
- Bubbles: Blowing bubbles promotes relaxation and can serve as a deep breathing exercise to help release tension and stress.
- Workbook/Journal, Fire in my Heart/Ice in my Veins: Each journal page features a prompt, providing a full space to express thoughts and feelings through words and/or images. You can use various art materials such as collage, markers, paint, colored pencils to bring your expressions to life.
- The Bill of Rights of Grieving Teens, By Teens at the Dougy Center validates the range of thoughts, feelings, emotions that teens are entitled to.
- Colored Pencils: Use for coloring pages or drawing in workbook
- Adult Coloring Designs: Using colored pencils to fill-in images can be a meditative exercise promoting relaxation, mindfulness and creativity. The act of coloring can quiet the mind and can relieve stress.
- Fidget Spinners: Uses tactile movement to channel extra energy through the fingers helping to alleviate anxiety and redirect attention and focus
- Squeeze Ball: Helps grievers release tension and stress by providing a physical outlet through squeezing with their hands
- Notebook & Pen: Provides space to jot down notes, reflect on feelings and thoughts about the grief process, or capture memories and stories of a loved one
- Earbuds: Listening to music can be an effective tool for reducing grief and stress, improving focus, evoking emotions and relaxing the mind
- List of Mobile Apps: Recommended by other teens and grief counselors
Request a Child or Teen Grief Kit
Request a Grief Kit
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