How Elementary School-Age Children Express Grief
- School and learning problems
- Preoccupation with the loss and related worries; daydreaming; trouble paying attention
- Bedwetting; regression; developmental delays
- Eating and sleeping problems (overeating, refusing to eat, nightmares, sleepiness)
- Fighting, anger
Helping the Grieving Elementary School-Age Child
- Keep tasks simple. Explain things before they experience them - new neighborhood, school, church, family routines and changes.
- Provide a structured environment that is predictable and consistent; limit choices; introduce small, manageable choices over time.
- Contain acting out behavior; insist that children express their wants, needs, and feelings with words, not by acting out.
- Encourage them to let you know when they are worried or having a difficult time.
- Introduction to Grief and Children
- How Preschoolers Express Grief and Ways You Can Help
- How Elementary School-Age Children Express Grief and Ways You Can Help
- How Pre-Teens and Early Adolescents Express Grief and Ways You Can Help
