Muddles, Puddles and Sunshine - Paperback: Your Activity Book to Help When Someone Has Died (Early Years)

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There are some children’s books which some families, carers and professionals have found helpful to support young children who are grieving.

A funeral is a time for people to say goodbye when someone has died. The body of the person is put in a coffin, which is something special to carry a body in. People choose music and words that the person would have liked to remember them.” 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. 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.”

We provide a range of group work support which can be;

All children, even younger children, will experience a range of emotions after the death of a parent or sibling. Children can be encouraged to explore these emotions through play and observing others. Often adults want to protect children by hiding their emotions, however, sometimes showing children how you feel can help them to understand that it is ok to express their own feelings too. Think about ways you can include the memory of deceased loved ones in special occasions, if this feels right for your family. Should young children attend a funeral? Winston’s Wish: Information, books and resources for helping children with bereavement, including information and support on how to deal with current difficult issues, such as not being able to attend funerals. 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:

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. 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. Side by Side is a group that runs for 3-4 weeks. It is suitable for Children/young people aged 6-10 and their families. It is for those having difficulty in family/peer relationships, emotional skills and social skills. It can be used where there has been a significant event such as a bereavement loss or trauma and is based on the five ways to wellbeing. There are separate children, young people and adult groups that run simultaneously, then there is a family session which joins the children, young people and adults together.

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Losing someone close to us is never easy. But what do we do when someone passes away due to a virus that we don’t really understand? What do we do when we are not able to comfort each other as usual, or even attend funerals to say goodbye? Muddles, Puddles and Sunshine: Your Activity Book to Help When Someone Has Died (Early Years) ebook Girls Talk is a group that runs for 8 weeks it is suitable for children age 9-11 to provide factual information and guidance on issues around growing up. 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? 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:

These examples from nature can help young children to begin to understand the difference between dead and alive people too, and help them slowly start to piece together understanding. How might children’s grief change as they get older? Children learn through play and storytelling so using these tools and activities can really help. Our book Muddles, Puddles and Sunshine has lots of activities you can do with your children to help them cope with their grief – here are a couple of them: Fizzing feelings bottle: Muddles, Puddles and Sunshine: Your Activity Book to Help When Someone Has Died (Early Years) excel 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.

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: Your Activity Book to Help When Someone Has Died (Early Years) full book

Cruse Bereavement Care: Resources, information and helpline, supporting people who have been affected by the pandemic especially. If you notice that your child is struggling, help them to name their own emotions too, for example:

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We also help the adults who are caring for young grieving people, including parents, school staff and healthcare professionals, through information, resources, training and on-demand services. Coping with bereavement and Loss is a group sessions that spans half or a full day, it’s a group that is delivered on special occasions such as Christmas time and looks at different ways of coping with the feelings children tell us they experience after a death at these times. A memory box is a special place that your child can keep and treasure all kinds of things that can remind them of the person who has died. This might be drawings, photographs or objects. Some very young children may not have many memories so these items can help you talk to them about the person who has died in the future. For example shells from a holiday might be a reminder of happy times spent together. This book offers a structure and an outlet for the many difficult feelings which inevitably follow when someone dies. It aims to help children make sense of their experience by reflecting on the different aspects of their grief, whilst finding a balance between remembering and having fun. This book is a useful companion in the present, and will become an invaluable keepsake in the years to come. After we have said our goodbyes to Mummy, some music will play and a curtain will go around the special box. Mummy’s body will be moved to a hot room, where it will be turned to ash. Remember the body does not feel any pain so it won’t hurt as the body has stopped working.”