Dying Matters Awareness Week (10-16 May) has been a good opportunity to talk about the loss of a loved one and how to cope with grief. This resources pack includes an article from The Week Junior magazine, along with a sheet of activities designed to get children thinking, talking and writing about what the story means to them.
Activities include:
- When someone we care about dies, is it healthy to let our tears flow freely and cry wherever we are - or is that making it all about ourselves? Is it ok that everyone deals with grief differently, or could it actually be helpful if, as a society, we came up with a few rules about it? After all, as children we are taught that it’s not ok, for example, to gloat about winning a race, no matter how happy we are – so why can’t there be an accepted way to behave when we’re feeling really sad? What do you think?
- Write a letter to an imaginary friend whose pet has just died. Remind them that it’s natural to feel sad when we lose someone or something we love very much, and suggest some things they could do to help them cope with their feelings.
- Write a poem about grief. Think about devices you could use to express the powerful feelings involved, such as similes, metaphors and personification.
- There are many different ‘awareness’ days and weeks that happen throughout the year. Find out about one for every month, writing a short explanation of the cause it is highlighting, and why you think it is something that should be known about more widely.
Find the entire series of Topical Tuesday resources to download here.
What is The Week Junior?
The Week Junior magazine looks at current affairs and helps children make sense of the world, provides context and clarity to complex issues, improves general knowledge and encourages discussion and debate.
To find out more about The Week Junior and to download its free resources, please go to schools.theweekjunior.co.uk.