Children- Imagine (908-264-3100) Mountainside, NJ - provides free,year-round grief support for children, families, and communities.
Adult
Rahway Fitness and Wellness Center Adult Bereavement Support Group - Meet 1st Wednesday of every month at 1:30 pm.
Bereavement Support Groups (conducted by Haven Hospice) - Offers many different groups.
Activities You Can Do to Help Cope with Grief
Whether during a holiday, a birthday, or any given day, it can be hard for children and adults to cope with a death of a loved one. During these tough moments, there are activities that can help children and yourselves honor their memory. Below is a small list of ideas you can use.
- Watch their favorite movie.
- Draw or write about your favorite memory.
- Donate or volunteer in your loved one's name.
- Write a letter to your loved one.
- Look through pictures and talk about the memories.
- Have your child brainstorm activities.
PBS - Site has great activities and a guide for families experiencing a loss of a loved one
http://www.pbs.org/parents/whenfamiliesgrieve/tools.html
Coping with Grief During the HolidaysPBS - Site has great activities and a guide for families experiencing a loss of a loved one
http://www.pbs.org/parents/whenfamiliesgrieve/tools.html
Below's excerpt can be found at Helping Children Cope with Grief During the Holidays
1. Listen. It’s simple, it’s effective and it’s really important. Allow grieving children to talk about whatever it is they wish. Tell them they can talk to you at any time about anything. Keeping the lines of communication open is crucial for grieving children. They need to know they have someone to talk to who cares about what they are going through.
2. Allow any and all feelings. Children may feel a wide array of emotions when grieving. Let them know there is no one way or right way to grieve. Validate their feelings and try to help them explore what they are feeling and why.
3. Ask for their input. Ask children how they want to celebrate the holiday now that things have changed. Old family traditions may be too difficult to manage after the loss of a loved one so ask about what traditions children think should be “kept” and what should be “put on hold”.
4. Be flexible. Children’s expectations regarding the holiday, feelings about what they want or don’t want to do may change from one day to the next. Be patient and go with the flow. While on one particular day a holiday activity might seem too difficult for the child to cope with, the next day the child may feel differently. That’s ok.
5. Create new traditions. Ask the child if she would like to come up with a new way to celebrate or honor the memory of the lost loved one. Perhaps lighting a candle in their memory through the holidays, creating a special “memory” tree with ornaments that reflect the loved one’s life, or making a donation in their memory to a favorite charity. Additional ideas for activities to help grieving children during the holidays are discussed below.
6. Have some fun. Grief is a heavy burden to bear, especially for children. It can take a toll on them, impacting their everyday “normal” in profound ways. It is important that through the grief children can continue to be children and to have fun. Find ways to lighten the mood, encourage laughter and playfulness. Remind children that it is okay to find joy in the holidays even after a loved one has departed.
Need more ideas? Pinterest is full of creative ideas.
1. Listen. It’s simple, it’s effective and it’s really important. Allow grieving children to talk about whatever it is they wish. Tell them they can talk to you at any time about anything. Keeping the lines of communication open is crucial for grieving children. They need to know they have someone to talk to who cares about what they are going through.
2. Allow any and all feelings. Children may feel a wide array of emotions when grieving. Let them know there is no one way or right way to grieve. Validate their feelings and try to help them explore what they are feeling and why.
3. Ask for their input. Ask children how they want to celebrate the holiday now that things have changed. Old family traditions may be too difficult to manage after the loss of a loved one so ask about what traditions children think should be “kept” and what should be “put on hold”.
4. Be flexible. Children’s expectations regarding the holiday, feelings about what they want or don’t want to do may change from one day to the next. Be patient and go with the flow. While on one particular day a holiday activity might seem too difficult for the child to cope with, the next day the child may feel differently. That’s ok.
5. Create new traditions. Ask the child if she would like to come up with a new way to celebrate or honor the memory of the lost loved one. Perhaps lighting a candle in their memory through the holidays, creating a special “memory” tree with ornaments that reflect the loved one’s life, or making a donation in their memory to a favorite charity. Additional ideas for activities to help grieving children during the holidays are discussed below.
6. Have some fun. Grief is a heavy burden to bear, especially for children. It can take a toll on them, impacting their everyday “normal” in profound ways. It is important that through the grief children can continue to be children and to have fun. Find ways to lighten the mood, encourage laughter and playfulness. Remind children that it is okay to find joy in the holidays even after a loved one has departed.
Need more ideas? Pinterest is full of creative ideas.
