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Understanding Grief ›
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Understanding grief ›
- Truths about grief
- What grief looks and feels like
- Common challenges with grief
- Grieving before the loss
- Ideas for living with loss
- Grief triggers
- How long grief lasts
- How the loss affects families and others
- When life starts to get better
- Special dates
- Rituals, funerals, and memorials
- Do I need more help?
- Prolonged grief
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Grief, roles, and identity ›
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Grieving a Death ›
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Your relationship ›
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The situation ›
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Non-death Loss ›
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Supporting Someone ›
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Professionals & Volunteers ›
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Resources & More ›
Supporting kids and youth
Grief can look different in children and youth than it does in adults, so it can be hard to know if they’re grieving or how to help. KidsGrief.ca and YouthGrief.ca are free, online resources that can help adults support the grieving children and youth in their lives. These resources help adults recognize and understand young people’s behaviors while grieving, and offer practical advice on how to talk with them about serious illness, death, and grief. The platforms were developed by children’s grief specialists alongside families with lived experience, and incorporate learning modules, tools, activity books, and videos.
Video Gallery
Resources
An activity book for children to help them think about how someone else's illness affects their life.
An activity book for children to help them think about their illness and how it affects their life.
An activity book for children to help them think about grief and how someone's death affects their life.
Introduces kids to grief, how it can affect people, and how it is a normal part of life.
Children grieve differently than adults. In fact, you may not recognize that your child is grieving. You may not realize the degree to which a loss or the "sad parts" of children's books and movies or ... Read more
Research and experience strongly suggest we talk with our children early on in these situations. The best way to protect children is in fact to given them clear, honest information and support that is ... Read more
Supporting grieving children can be very challenging for parents. You may find it particularly difficult if you’re grieving your own life-limiting illness, or the dying or death of someone close to yo ... Read more
Resources by grieving youth, for grieving youth.
Includes ideas and activities to help youth and young adults live with and manage their grief including bullet journals and grounding exercises.
This article examines the link between bullying behaviour and grief and provides young people with helpful tips for how to support a grieving friend who may also be experiencing bullying behaviour rel ... Read more
Provides hope and support through storytelling for teenagers experiencing grief.
A 3-minute video by Andrea Warnick, not geared specifically towards children but advice is applicable.
Andrea Warnick, a Registered Psychotherapist whose passion lies in helping families and communities support people of all ages who are grieving, shares her insights on managing grief and how it can al ... Read more
Have handbooks on supporting children experiencing grief, an education toolkit for educators, e-learning courses for parents, along with recommended podcasts and books.
Provide a page where you select a province and lists grief resources for that province or territory, as well as professionals who offer accessible bereavement support for children and families. Nation ... Read more
Resources available by topic or type of death, the person who died, by type of resource, and audience.
Have a map of organizations and programs that offer grief programs for children in Canada, and lists divided by provinces
Discusses grief in post-secondary education settings. Includes a Grief and loss worksheet.
Kids share their experiences with losing loved ones, also discussing anticipatory grief. They also offer advice for other kids who are experiencing similar situations.
Discusses Camp Erin, and how traditional camp activities are paired with children learning about dealing with grief.
Discusses how terminal illnesses can be discussed with children. Highlights the experience of Hunter, a 9-year old with an incurable brain tumour.
Includes sections on understanding grief, coping with change, connecting with ourselves, and growing as we grieve.
Offers ways to talk to preschool aged children about death and grieving. Describes common questions children may have, possible behavioural changes, and ways to help children through this time.
Helps children understand loss and grief through the metaphor of an invisible string.
Through Coryˈs Story and a range of inventive activities, including art, games, and puppets, Liana's newest book provides specialized techniques to help children bereaved by suicide, homicide, drug ov ... Read more
Describes grief in a way that is more accessible to children by comparing these experiences to clouds and puddles.
Describes signs of grief and loss in children, how to help children with these feelings, and how to answer common questions your children may have. Also lists children's books that discuss grief and w ... Read more
Talks about how children grieve differently, the ways they grieve, and how caregivers and parents can best support children as they grieve.
This book allows adults to enter into the world of children to explain death. Topics include: what alive and dead means, feelings about death, keeping customs, and remembering a life.
What can we do to help our grieving children cope with the stress, hardship and change that comes when we experience a death in our families or community? How do we support them during this extremely ... Read more
A pet, a friend or a relative dies, and it must be explained to a child. This book is a tool for explaining to children that death is a part of life and that, eventually, all living things reach the e ... Read more
Parents, caregivers and educators wondering how they can help will find many answers to their questions in the following guide, which has been assembled with advice from several experts in the area of ... Read more
For young and middle readers (6-12 year-olds) grieving the death of someone loved.
This book written by Alan D. Wolfelt (PhD), Grief Counsellor will help anyone who is working with children and teens who have experienced loss.
Addresses what to expect from grieving young people, and how to provide safe outlets for teens to express emotion.
This book offers guidance for navigating through one of life's most painful experiences. It offers comfort and wisdom for parents who are faced with the often overwhelming task of moving the family be ... Read more
This article examines the link between bullying behaviour and grief and provides young people with helpful tips for how to support a grieving friend who may also be experiencing bullying behaviour rel ... Read more
Discusses grief in post-secondary education settings. Includes a Grief and loss worksheet.
Describes signs of grief and loss in children, how to help children with these feelings, and how to answer common questions your children may have. Also lists children's books that discuss grief and w ... Read more
Talks about how children grieve differently, the ways they grieve, and how caregivers and parents can best support children as they grieve.
Introduces kids to grief, how it can affect people, and how it is a normal part of life.
Helps children understand loss and grief through the metaphor of an invisible string.
Through Coryˈs Story and a range of inventive activities, including art, games, and puppets, Liana's newest book provides specialized techniques to help children bereaved by suicide, homicide, drug ov ... Read more
Describes grief in a way that is more accessible to children by comparing these experiences to clouds and puddles.
This book allows adults to enter into the world of children to explain death. Topics include: what alive and dead means, feelings about death, keeping customs, and remembering a life.
A pet, a friend or a relative dies, and it must be explained to a child. This book is a tool for explaining to children that death is a part of life and that, eventually, all living things reach the e ... Read more
For young and middle readers (6-12 year-olds) grieving the death of someone loved.
This book written by Alan D. Wolfelt (PhD), Grief Counsellor will help anyone who is working with children and teens who have experienced loss.
Addresses what to expect from grieving young people, and how to provide safe outlets for teens to express emotion.
This book offers guidance for navigating through one of life's most painful experiences. It offers comfort and wisdom for parents who are faced with the often overwhelming task of moving the family be ... Read more
Offers ways to talk to preschool aged children about death and grieving. Describes common questions children may have, possible behavioural changes, and ways to help children through this time.
Children grieve differently than adults. In fact, you may not recognize that your child is grieving. You may not realize the degree to which a loss or the "sad parts" of children's books and movies or ... Read more
Research and experience strongly suggest we talk with our children early on in these situations. The best way to protect children is in fact to given them clear, honest information and support that is ... Read more
Supporting grieving children can be very challenging for parents. You may find it particularly difficult if you’re grieving your own life-limiting illness, or the dying or death of someone close to yo ... Read more
Resources by grieving youth, for grieving youth.
Includes ideas and activities to help youth and young adults live with and manage their grief including bullet journals and grounding exercises.
Provides hope and support through storytelling for teenagers experiencing grief.
Have handbooks on supporting children experiencing grief, an education toolkit for educators, e-learning courses for parents, along with recommended podcasts and books.
Provide a page where you select a province and lists grief resources for that province or territory, as well as professionals who offer accessible bereavement support for children and families. Nation ... Read more
Resources available by topic or type of death, the person who died, by type of resource, and audience.
Have a map of organizations and programs that offer grief programs for children in Canada, and lists divided by provinces
Includes sections on understanding grief, coping with change, connecting with ourselves, and growing as we grieve.
What can we do to help our grieving children cope with the stress, hardship and change that comes when we experience a death in our families or community? How do we support them during this extremely ... Read more
Parents, caregivers and educators wondering how they can help will find many answers to their questions in the following guide, which has been assembled with advice from several experts in the area of ... Read more
Andrea Warnick, a Registered Psychotherapist whose passion lies in helping families and communities support people of all ages who are grieving, shares her insights on managing grief and how it can al ... Read more
Discusses Camp Erin, and how traditional camp activities are paired with children learning about dealing with grief.
Discusses how terminal illnesses can be discussed with children. Highlights the experience of Hunter, a 9-year old with an incurable brain tumour.
A 3-minute video by Andrea Warnick, not geared specifically towards children but advice is applicable.
Kids share their experiences with losing loved ones, also discussing anticipatory grief. They also offer advice for other kids who are experiencing similar situations.
An activity book for children to help them think about how someone else's illness affects their life.
An activity book for children to help them think about their illness and how it affects their life.
An activity book for children to help them think about grief and how someone's death affects their life.
