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.