Helping Children Cope with Grief

Description:

This lesson focuses on helping children cope with grief caused by loss or disaster. It discusses phases of grief and children’s reactions to grief or stress. Suggestions for child care providers to use to help children develop healthy coping skills are provided. This lesson also discusses children’s behaviors that may indicate a difficulty coping with grief, and guidelines for child care providers to use when communicating concerns to parents.

Objectives:

RECALL the phases of grief.

IDENTIFY children’s reactions to grief.

RECALL actions to use to help children cope with grief.

RECALL guidelines for answering children’s questions about sensitive issues.

RECALL activities that encourage development of healthy coping skills.

IDENTIFY behaviors that indicate difficulty coping with grief.

RECALL general guidelines for communicating with families regarding coping difficulties.