Coping With Big Feelings
Encourage kids to talk with grown-ups when they feel sad.
Watch this video together, then talk about the big feelings, like sadness and anger, that Elmo and Jesse have about Uncle Jack dying. Let children know that it’s okay to feel lots of different feelings, and that these feelings may come and go.
Many little ones don’t yet have words to express their feelings. This can be frustrating and cause them to act out. Pictures can be great tools to help children learn words that describe emotions. Make a “feeling faces” collage together. Look through magazines and cut out pictures of people with various expressions: happy, confused, worried, joyful, angry, proud, disappointed, excited, and so on. Glue the pictures to a large sheet of paper and label each. When children are having trouble expressing their feelings, invite them to point to a face that shows how they are feeling. Talk together about how they’re feeling and why.
When Kids Need Special-Special Comfort
In the midst of big changes, comfort items such as small stuffed animals and blankets can provide a sense of continuity in a child’s life.
Remembering
For children and adults, it’s important to celebrate the lives of our loved ones who have died.
Grief and Change Caused by COVID-19
It’s okay to have feelings of grief when we experience changes big and small.
Helping Children Through Grief Related To COVID-19
There are ways to help families talk about death, express their feelings, and grieve together.
Open Ended Art
Doing open-ended art activities together helps adults and children relax and connect.
Showing and Sharing Feelings
Naming a big feeling can help children begin to understand it, and later regulate it.
Coloring to Calm Down
Coloring can help both children and grown-ups feel more calm and grounded.
