Stories and words have therapeutic potential. They can strengthen us, help to reframe things, and help make meaning. This book offers story medicine for children, families and communities at times of grieving, loss and separation. Lots of people will be feeling really sad, as they miss Mummy. They might be crying but that is ok. People might also be smiling or laughing when they remember happy times but that is ok too.” A challenging experience can make a young child feel as if they are in emotional free fall. As a parent, you can’t stop them falling, but you can offer them a softer landing:

We need to show young children the difference between dead and alive and using nature can be a useful way to help them understand death. You could encourage your children to look at the differences between dead and alive insects or plants and ask them questions like:Muddles, Puddles and Sunshine offers practical and sensitive support for bereaved children. Beautifully illustrated, it suggests a helpful series of activities and exercises accompanied by the friendly characters of Bee and Bear.

Art Therapy is a group that runs for 8 weeks. It is suitable for children/young people aged 11+ and offers a creative space to express difficult emotions and underlying anxieties. Using art materials to show themselves and other people how they are feeling. Depending on the age of your child, it might also be helpful to involve them in the planning for a funeral or memorial service. For example: Bounce is a group that runs for 7 weeks it is suitable for children age 7-11 and delivered to groups of 6 during the school day. Bounce is a group for children who have experienced family breakdown; who may be struggling to deal with their parents separating, and therefore loss of a family member (parent, sibling, grandparent, etc). Currently on hold due to Covid 19This book is an invaluable outlet for bereaved children and is likely to become a treasured and personalised keepsake. We cannot praise this book highly enough for its combination of enjoyable activities with its comforting words and therapy. Highly recommended. To support children, we also need to take care of ourselves. Whatever happens, there are always people to help and listen. As well as resources, books, activities and information, we have also included a list of helplines offering support for adults as well. This simple activity that can help to show young children how feelings can get all mixed up and can be explosive. Shake a bottle of fizzy drink and then take the lid off to show how feelings can burst right out. You could encourage your children to name their own feelings that might be ‘all mixed up’. Then repeat the activity with another bottle, but this time release the lid slowly and show that feelings can also come out in a more managed way. You can talk about the different feelings as they are released. For very young children they might only be able to name very simple feelings such as ‘happy’ or ‘sad’ but this activity can begin to encourage discussion around feelings. Making a memory box:

Muddles, Puddles and Sunshine offers practical and sensitive support for bereaved children. Beautifully illustrated, it suggests a helpful series of activities and exercises accompanied by the friendly characters of Bee and Bear. Never Too Young To Grieve by Winston’s Wish – our specialise book provides more detailed support and guidance for parents, carers and professionals supporting children under five. This revolutionary book challenges our mainstream assumptions about early development and learning with a rich distillation of perennial wisdom and cutting-edge science. What are children’s real age-appropriate needs – as opposed to the ones that impatient adults think they should have? We are often asked whether a child, especially a very young child, should attend a funeral. This is not a straightforward decision and is an individual choice for parents and carers – you know your children’s needs. However, our experience tells us that for some young children, it can be really helpful to be included in a funeral. It can help them understand the significance of what has happened and, when they are older, the memories can help inform their understanding.The Good Grief Trust: Bereavement support and information, as well as virtual support through a ‘virtual café’ via zoom. The death of a parent or sibling is a devastating experience for any child and often adults don’t know what to say or how to support them. If your child is under five then this can be even more difficult because they might not understand what has happened or be able to express their feelings. The expert team at Winston’s Wish offers their advice on how to tell a very young child that someone has died, how to help them express their feelings and whether they should attend the funeral. Should I tell a young child about the death of a parent or sibling?