We understand how deeply grief can affect a child’s emotional and psychological well-being. The loss of a loved one—be it a parent, grandparent, sibling, friend, or even a beloved pet—can be confusing, frightening, and overwhelming for a young mind. While adults often have the tools and vocabulary to navigate loss, children need guidance, safe spaces, and thoughtful activities that help them express and process their feelings.
At The Kids Point, we believe that every child deserves compassionate support during times of grief. This article explores a variety of grief activities for children, designed to support emotional healing and encourage healthy coping strategies. These activities can be done at home or in therapeutic settings and are meant to be adaptive, sensitive, and empowering.
Understanding Grief in Children
Grief is a natural response to loss, but children experience and express it differently depending on their age, developmental stage, personality, and the nature of the loss. Young children may not fully understand the permanence of death and may ask questions repeatedly. Older children and teens, on the other hand, may feel sadness, guilt, anger, or even numbness, sometimes struggling to articulate their emotions.
Common signs of grief in children include:
- Physical symptoms like stomachaches or headaches
- Regression in behavior (e.g., bedwetting, clinginess)
- Withdrawal or isolation
- Changes in appetite or sleep patterns
- Difficulty concentrating
- Emotional outbursts or irritability
By recognizing these signs and introducing expressive activities, adults can help children navigate the complex and often turbulent emotions associated with grief.
Why Grief Activities Are Important
Engaging in grief-related activities offers several benefits for children:
- Emotional expression: Activities provide an outlet to express feelings that are difficult to verbalize.
- Sense of control: Participating in structured activities helps children regain a sense of control in a time when life feels uncertain.
- Memory preservation: Remembering and honoring the deceased helps keep connections alive.
- Normalizing grief: Activities encourage conversation and show that it’s okay to feel sad, angry, or confused.
- Bonding opportunity: These activities can be done with family members or therapists, creating meaningful interactions.
Creating a Memory Box
Purpose: To create a safe and special place for keepsakes and memories.
Children are often deeply comforted by physical reminders of a loved one. A memory box is a personalized container where children can store mementos that remind them of the person who died—photos, letters, toys, jewelry, or even drawings.
How to Do It:
- Let the child choose or decorate the box with paint, stickers, or collage materials.
- Encourage them to include items that bring fond memories.
- Ask open-ended questions like: “Why did you choose this item?” or “What does it remind you of?”
- Revisit the box together over time to add or reflect on the contents.
Writing Letters to the Deceased
Purpose: To express emotions and communicate thoughts that were left unsaid.
Children may struggle with the concept of not being able to speak to someone who has died. Writing letters offers a symbolic and emotional way to maintain a connection.
How to Do It:
- Provide writing or drawing materials.
- Prompt the child with ideas such as, “What do you want to say to them?” or “What do you miss the most?”
- Allow the child to keep the letter private, share it aloud, or even “send” it by placing it in the memory box or burning it in a safe, supervised setting.
Art Therapy and Creative Expression
Purpose: To allow non-verbal emotional expression through art.
Art is a powerful therapeutic tool, especially for children who aren’t yet able to articulate their feelings.
Activity Ideas:
- Draw Your Feelings: Use colors and shapes to express emotions like sadness, anger, or confusion.
- Paint a Memory: Ask the child to paint a picture of a happy moment shared with the loved one.
- Clay or Playdough Sculptures: Sculpt something that reminds them of the person who passed away.
The focus is not on artistic skill, but on emotional expression.
Memory Bracelets or Bead Crafts
Purpose: To create wearable symbols of connection and remembrance.
Crafting can be calming and meditative. Making a bracelet using beads, charms, or colors that remind the child of their loved one gives them a physical reminder they can carry.
How to Do It:
- Offer a selection of beads, string, and decorative items.
- Let the child choose colors or shapes that have personal meaning.
- Talk about what each choice represents.
- Encourage them to wear or keep the bracelet as a token of love.
Journaling and Storytelling
Purpose: To provide a private space for reflection or to document memories.
Journaling allows kids to process emotions and memories on paper.
Variations:
- For young children, provide prompts like: “Today I felt…” or “My favorite memory is…”
- For older kids and teens, encourage free writing, poetry, or even fictional stories that parallel their feelings.
- Include drawing pages for non-writers.
Storytelling, especially about the deceased, also helps in preserving family history and honoring legacy.
Emotion Matching and Feelings Games
Purpose: To build emotional literacy and help children name and manage their emotions.
Children often lack the vocabulary to express what they feel. Emotion-matching games help bridge that gap.
How to Do It:
- Create cards with facial expressions and emotion words (e.g., sad, lonely, mad, scared).
- Match the cards, or act out the emotions.
- Use examples from their own experience to contextualize emotions.
- Encourage phrases like, “Today I feel…” to develop emotional fluency.
Reading Grief-Themed Books
Purpose: To normalize grief and inspire conversation.
Books are an excellent way to introduce the concept of death and the grieving process in age-appropriate ways.
Recommended Titles:
- The Invisible String by Patrice Karst
- When Dinosaurs Die by Laurie Krasny Brown and Marc Brown
- I Miss You by Pat Thomas
- Lifetimes by Bryan Mellonie
After reading, discuss the story and ask the child how they relate to the characters. Encourage questions and shared emotions.
Hand Tracing with Sensory Memories
Purpose: To connect memories with the five senses for deeper recall and comfort.
Children trace their hand on a piece of paper, then fill each finger with a memory tied to one of the five senses.
Example:
- Touch: Holding their hand
- Smell: Their perfume or favorite meal
- Taste: A dessert they baked together
- Sight: The color of their eyes
- Sound: Their laugh or favorite song
This exercise strengthens memory associations and encourages positive remembrance.
Grief Mazes and Puzzle Activities
Purpose: To symbolically represent the non-linear path of grief.
Grief can feel like a maze—confusing, disorienting, and overwhelming. Completing puzzles or mazes together can serve as metaphors for navigating loss.
How to Do It:
- Use printable maze templates or create a physical maze in the yard.
- Talk about how the path has dead ends and turns—just like emotions.
- Reinforce that it’s okay to feel lost, but support is always available.
Acrostic Poems with the Deceased’s Name
Purpose: To creatively honor the memory of the deceased.
This is a gentle writing activity where the child writes the loved one’s name vertically on paper and uses each letter to start a descriptive word or phrase.
Example (for the name Anna):
- A: Amazing hugger
- N: Never stopped smiling
- N: Nice to everyone
- A: Always in my heart
This helps kids celebrate life and remember the good times.
Creating Rituals and Remembrance Days
Purpose: To establish positive routines for remembrance and emotional connection.
Rituals give children a framework for grief. These can be simple and symbolic.
Ideas:
- Lighting a candle every year on the person’s birthday
- Baking their favorite meal
- Visiting a meaningful place
- Creating an annual “Memory Day” with music, crafts, and reflection
Involving children in designing these rituals gives them ownership and comfort.
Nature Walks and Outdoor Reflection
Purpose: To connect grief with the calming aspects of nature.
Sometimes, a change of environment helps children process feelings. Nature provides a healing backdrop.
Ideas:
- Collect rocks, leaves, or flowers that remind them of their person.
- Build a memory garden or plant a tree.
- Sit quietly and journal or draw outside.
This activity blends emotional healing with mindfulness and physical movement.
Grief is not something children can “get over.” It’s something they learn to live with, carry, and grow through. By introducing thoughtful, age-appropriate grief activities, adults can help children express their feelings, preserve meaningful connections, and develop coping skills that support long-term emotional well-being.
At The Kids Point, we believe that every child deserves the tools and support to heal in their own unique way. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or caregiver, you can be a vital part of a child’s grief journey by offering your presence, your patience, and creative ways to express love and loss. Let’s continue to build a world where children are not only allowed to grieve—but encouraged to heal, hope, and thrive.