I have learned a lot about the silent ways that children grieve. Many of which we could easily ignore if we are not fully aware. Some children become fidgety, distracted, easily agitated, aggressive, fearful, and regress in some behaviors while grieving. It would be easy to say that the child is simply having behavior issues and ignore them or punish them. What looks like anger- could very well be grief after a loss or traumatic life event. Children grieve too, in different ways than adults, so I encourage you to take time to get into the world of your child who is grieving.

Here are some Tips for helping a grieving child:

Sit with them in their grief and let them know it’s okay. Many times children want to run away from negative emotions and they need a trusted adult to help them navigate through them.

Provide physical support that they need. Depending on your child's physical needs, I suggest that you hold & hug them, rub their backs, kiss them, hold their hand. These phsycial touches provide a safe way for children to feel affirmed and seen in their grief.

Create a photo collage of pictures and videos of the loved one to look at. Many children find it hard to make sense of a world without their loved one in it. Seeing pictures of their loved ones can help rekindle memories of love.

Try art therapy with your child such as drawing, painting & coloring, as they serve as a healthy outlet of expression.

Encourage them to play & find moments to insert joy whether that's by going out to play with friends, listen to fun music that they enjoy or having a silly moment to simply laugh again. Children want to know that life can still feel normal even after loss, and "play" helps to make life feel ok again.

Guess what? How about cry with them if you need to (I did with my sons!). Your ability to both empathize and mourn normalizes the healthy outlet of our grief & reminds them that they’re not alone.

For tips and Grief Support for a child who is grieving, please be sure to book your child a free consultation with me today.

🤍Just like adults, children want and need to be seen, heard, and known in their pain.

Be kind to your grieving heart and let it heal 🫶🏽