25 Things to Do When Grandpa Passes Away, Mom and Dad Get Divorced, Or the Dog Dies

Book excerpt: Children experience all sorts of grief and loss -- a death in the family, a divorce, an unexpected move, the loss of a pet. They need ways to acknowledge these losses and they need to be able to express their grief in physical ways. Some children need the activities we consider traditional: they conduct ceremonies or write letters to the people they have lost. Other children, overflowing with the anger that is a natural part of grief, need to pound, punch, run and jump. Still others want to express their grief through art. Written by Laurie Kanyers, M.A., whose research and clinical experience has focused on how children cope when they must deal with change, loss and death, "25 Things to Do..." explains the grieving process. It provides dozens of activities that help bereaved children. Kanyer explains the value of each activity so that parents and caregivers can select appropriate projects based on the child's age, kind of loss and stage in the grieving process. She also discusses how learning about grief prepares children for new relationships and to accept losses later in life.