When a child experiences the loss of a loved one, they’re not just grieving the person they are grieving changes to their world, their routine, and their sense of safety.

Grief is overwhelming for anyone. But for children, who often don’t yet have the language or life experience to make sense of their emotions, hands-on, creative, and therapeutic activities can be powerful tools for healing.

Below are several grief activities for children that promote emotional expression, connection, and long-term resilience. Whether you're a parent, caregiver, or therapist, these approaches are designed to help children remember, express, and feel safe while navigating the pain of loss.

Why Grief Activities Help Kids Heal

Children process grief differently than adults. They may swing between crying one moment and playing the next. They may ask the same questions repeatedly, or seem unaffected only to have a sudden outburst weeks later. As kids don’t always express grief in words, creative expression and movement-based activities become essential tools. These activities help children: Understand what has happened, Explore their feelings safely, Stay connected to the loved one, Regain a sense of routine and security. These aren’t just distractions they are therapeutic activities after loss that help children move through grief, not around it.

Use Books as a Bridge for Healing

Books like The Terrible, Super Sad Day are ideal tools for children experiencing grief. They present the concepts of loss, emotion, and healing through relatable stories, using age-appropriate language and social storytelling. Reading together can open up conversations, validate feelings, and provide comfort—especially when words are hard to find.

Memorializing the Loved One

One of the most powerful ways to help a child heal is to help them stay connected to the person who died. These grief activities support remembrance and connection:

Memory Box

Let children decorate a small box and fill it with photos, drawings, letters, or mementos that remind them of the person they lost. Why it helps: Offers a physical space to contain their memories and visit when they need comfort.

Scrapbook or Photo Album

Create a visual timeline or collage of special memories. Include captions, drawings, or notes. Pro tip: This can be an ongoing project children return to again and again.

Goodbye Letter

Invite the child to write a letter to their loved one, expressing things they miss, things they didn’t get to say, or memories they want to keep. Adaptation for younger children: Let them dictate their words while you write them down.

Memory Jar

Use a jar to collect short notes, questions, or memories written on slips of paper. Children can add to it whenever they want.

Creative Expression as Grief Therapy

When we wonder how to help a child express grief, the answer is often: give them tools to create.

Drawing or Painting

Let children draw their feelings or memories. Offer prompts like: “Draw a favorite day you spent together.” Or “What does sadness look like for you?”

Music and Movement

Create a “feelings playlist” and let children move, dance, or sing along. This works especially well for children who are too young to express feelings with words.

Writing and Journaling

Older children may benefit from journaling or writing poetry about their loss. Prompt idea: “If I could talk to them one more time, I’d say…”

Physical Activities to Release Emotions

Children often store emotions in their bodies. These activities offer a healthy outlet for energy and stress:

Movement Games

• Stomp the Sadness: Stomp on pieces of paper labeled with difficult feelings.

• Alphabet Scavenger Hunt: Find an item for each letter A-Z that reminds them of something joyful.

Physical Release

• Throw soft objects into a basket (e.g., “This is my sadness!”).

• Tear up old newspapers or yell into pillows or at the top of a hill on a hike with an adult

These may sound silly to adults but for kids, they’re serious emotional tools.

Rituals for Remembering

Helping children stay connected to their loved one is essential for long-term healing. These gentle rituals can become family traditions:

Plant a Tree or Flower Symbolize life, growth, and the lasting impact of the person who died.Create a Time Capsule

Fill it with mementos, letters, drawings, or meaningful objects. Decide on a date to open it in the future.

Build a Family Playlist

Include songs that remind you of your loved one or that bring comfort. Let the child contribute their own choices.

Light a Candle

Mark special anniversaries or simply create a quiet moment of reflection together.

Bake Their Favorite Recipe

Cooking together can be a comforting way to celebrate the loved one’s memory while building new memories together.

The Role of Play in Processing Grief

Many adults ask, “Should I stop my child from pretending people or pets are dying?” The short answer is: No.

Play is one of the most natural and healthy ways for children to cope with trauma, fear, and change.

Children may:

• Play out funerals with stuffed animals

• Pretend their toys get sick or disappear

• Repeat grief-themed stories or games

Rather than banning it, join the play when invited. It gives you insight into what they’re feeling and allows you to gently guide and support their emotional understanding.

Encouraging Open Communication

Your child’s grief doesn’t need to look like yours. But they do need permission to talk—and to not talk—about it.

Here’s how to encourage healthy communication:

• Take walks or go for drives: Kids often talk more when not face-to-face.

• Offer reassurance and simple, truthful answers.

• Let them ask hard questions—and admit when you don’t have all the answers.

• Repeat this often: “You can talk to me about anything, even if it’s sad or scary.”

Don’t Forget Your Own Grief

Grieving as a caregiver is hard. But your emotional modeling matters.

It's okay to say: “I’m sad, too. I miss them every day.” Or “It’s okay to cry. It helps our hearts feel lighter.”

If your grief feels overwhelming, seek support from a counselor, therapist, or group. Taking care of your emotional health helps your child feel safer and more supported.

Final Thoughts: Helping a Child Grieve Takes Time and Connection

You don’t need to have all the right words.

You don’t need to fix their sadness.

But you can offer your presence.

You can sit with their feelings.

You can create space for healing through play, ritual, creativity, and love.

Whether you're planting a tree, making a memory box, or simply listening while they draw, every action sends this powerful message:

“You are not alone. Your feelings matter. We will get through this together.”