Muddles, Puddles and Sunshine - Paperback: Your Activity Book to Help When Someone Has Died (Early Years)

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Everybody develops their own coping mechanisms with unavoidable tragedies and bereavement, but for some children, if it is their first time dealing with such a situation, they have no previous experience of how to process it and the emotional consequences can be overwhelming. We hope that you have found something on this document that has helped. If you have any suggestions for further information, or if you would like to share your own personal experiences with any of the books or resources you use then please do. Additionally, if you want to talk to someone, ask for advice, or have a question we have a number of Facebook groups specifically for parents and for teachers. If you notice that your child is struggling, help them to name their own emotions too, for example:

This book is an invaluable outlet for bereaved children and is likely to become a treasured and personalised keepsake. We cannot praise this book highly enough for its combination of enjoyable activities with its comforting words and therapy. Highly recommended. Losing someone close to us is never easy. But what do we do when someone passes away due to a virus that we don’t really understand? What do we do when we are not able to comfort each other as usual, or even attend funerals to say goodbye? This revolutionary book challenges our mainstream assumptions about early development and learning with a rich distillation of perennial wisdom and cutting-edge science. What are children’s real age-appropriate needs – as opposed to the ones that impatient adults think they should have? If a child is going to attend a funeral, then they need to be prepared for what to expect. So, spend some time talking to them about what they might see or hear, and explain things like a burial or cremation. For example you could say: A funeral is a time for people to say goodbye when someone has died. The body of the person is put in a coffin, which is something special to carry a body in. People choose music and words that the person would have liked to remember them.”

To support children, we also need to take care of ourselves. Whatever happens, there are always people to help and listen. As well as resources, books, activities and information, we have also included a list of helplines offering support for adults as well. We need to show young children the difference between dead and alive and using nature can be a useful way to help them understand death. You could encourage your children to look at the differences between dead and alive insects or plants and ask them questions like:

Bounce is a group that runs for 7 weeks it is suitable for children age 7-11 and delivered to groups of 6 during the school day. Bounce is a group for children who have experienced family breakdown; who may be struggling to deal with their parents separating, and therefore loss of a family member (parent, sibling, grandparent, etc). Currently on hold due to Covid 19 Muddles, Puddles and Sunshine’ is a bereavement and loss group that runs for 6 weeks. It is for those who have experienced the loss of a loved one and is delivered to small groups of up to 4 children /young people due to the nature of the group. Girls Talk is a group that runs for 8 weeks it is suitable for children age 9-11 to provide factual information and guidance on issues around growing up. This book talks about death, in an gentle and honest way, it also provides space to write in it, and answer some of the questions that may be of concern. Parenting is often seen as a skill which is instinctive and does not need to be learned. However, many parents and guardians can benefit enormously from learning child-sensitive techniques which help them reflect on their parenting. Here is a unique toolkit for parents and guardians who wish to give their children the best start in life.Cruse Bereavement Care: Resources, information and helpline, supporting people who have been affected by the pandemic especially. After we have said our goodbyes to Mummy, some music will play and a curtain will go around the special box. Mummy’s body will be moved to a hot room, where it will be turned to ash. Remember the body does not feel any pain so it won’t hurt as the body has stopped working.” All children, even younger children, will experience a range of emotions after the death of a parent or sibling. Children can be encouraged to explore these emotions through play and observing others. Often adults want to protect children by hiding their emotions, however, sometimes showing children how you feel can help them to understand that it is ok to express their own feelings too.