Memories and me – Helping children with loss and bereavement
Coping with loss and bereavement is incredibly painful and personal. There is often a fear of talking about it, in case it brings up feelings that are overwhelming. However, this is something that we all need to do in a safe, compassionate and thoughtful way, with someone who can hear and ‘hold us’ through it.
In our loss programme, we help children to think about bereavement, have a chance to share their thoughts and experiences in a sensitive and emotionally-containing way and understand how it may affect them so that they are more aware and able to seek the support they need.
This pack helps children to understand the need to share our experiences and celebrate our memories with someone we can trust. Sometimes it may be that the ideas in this programme would be shared with just one child and an empathic adult rather than a group. It may however be that a few children together could be supportive and benefit from the group experience. Through the discussion and activities, the children will:
- understand the range of losses that we may experience,
- explore how feelings can be painful and hurt physically and emotionally,
- know about the range of feelings we can have when we experience loss,
- understand the stages of grief and how they aren’t always linear,
- recognise how loss can affect us all differently,
- be supported to reflect on special memories and create momentoes.
Our wellbeing resources are thorough and detailed, time-saving and provide the language to help pastoral staff listen, notice and encourage children to express their thoughts and feelings in a way that is safe, supportive and relational. We also provide training, support and supervision to equip staff with greater confidence to deliver the programmes.
Our programmes teach and embed transferable emotional literacy skills that are vital in both class and life.
Everything schools need is included. Each emotion theme pack comes with all the resources from detailed session plans to impact measures, certificates and shiny stickers plus access to our Resource Hub for an ever-growing free repository of activities, templates and planning and impact tools.
A summary of the items included in each emotion theme pack
It outlines the rationale and explains how each of the core elements of the resource work together, as well as offering advice on how to run the sessions, and the approach needed by the pastoral team.
It also includes content on:
- Demonstrating Impact – details of all the impact measurement tools we provide as part of the programme.
- Session plans and their structure.
- Safeguarding.
- Training and supervision.
The card also details a comprehensive list of any extra resources that might be needed for the children to complete all the session activities, for example, pens, paper, leaves, jam jars etc.
We also provide free Champion Planning Journals which are digital PDFs that include the contents and resources, along with a place to keep notes, observations and reflections about the sessions and the children for easy reference.
Each theme pack has 10 session card plans, for a 10-week small group intervention programme delivered over a term. So the full programme includes 100 session plans.
The sessions cover a variety of activities and guided discussions. Each session has a clear format and structure that helps the children to feel contained and able to engage in the programme. In each session, the sock puppets play a part!
Each A5 session 400gsm card is finished with an anti-scuff laminate so it can withstand lots of use! They can all be stored in the session pack plastic box – the idea being that these can be used over and over for multiple groups of children.
By highlighting key aspects within these areas of mental health, it is expected that SENCOs and pastoral staff in schools will have a deeper awareness of the child’s mental health, the presenting behaviours and underlying needs and will enable them to notice, identify and provide targeted intervention and care.
Used pre and post-intervention they enable you to measure impact over time as well as inform any future intervention or support.
Digital options are available for free.
We include parent/carer booklets unique to each theme to help facilitate a shared dialogue and communication about the programme and how it works, each weekly activity and how they can support their children in the home environment too.
Digital copies are also available.
Our Hamish & Milo stickers are a wonderful way to show value, recognition and allow children to feel a sense of pride within themselves. Each sticker offers a motivational or rewarding phrase along with our cute Hamish and Milo characters!
We suggest that each child needs to receive a sticker at the end of each session, so there is a space for them in their wellbeing journal session pages. There are five sheets of 20 stickers included, each with a different message. There are also three extra sheets of special stickers which have a metallic finish. These can be awarded to the children for being extra special, perhaps showing bravery or kindness or trying something new.
Our Hamish & Milo certificates are a special award for the completion of the wellbeing intervention sessions. Celebration and recognition of success is central to our approach and we hope you love these certificates as much as the children, as a special award to help each child feel proud within.
Our certificates are A5 and printed on a high-quality card with space for writing the child’s names and a special message. There is one for each child in each session pack and you can buy extra certificates in batches online.
Our 48-page journals are an integral part of the intervention and can be taken home to be continued or used as a memoir for the children to reflect on.
Inside, the children can write and draw about themselves, their families and their pets. They have positive affirmation statements throughout and spaces for their stickers. They can write their reflections and feelings, as well as some fun elements, such as their favourite animal and a sock puppet profile!
Each child receives an A6 wellbeing journal. There are six included per session pack but you can order extras online too.
This wonderfully creative puppet-making activity also allows the children to be playful, creative and expressive. We encourage the pastoral staff to create a sock puppet with the children too, so they can ‘talk’ to the children via the puppet – so our packs include one set for the adult, too!
The sock puppet pet kits include everything you need – socks, googly eyes, buttons, felt, pom-poms, pipe cleaners and fabric glue. We include an instruction and advice card but allow the children the freedom to create any puppet they like!
The sock puppets will help the children join in with your discussions and to talk without fear about their feelings and experiences. We suggest they bring their puppets to each session so they can use them to speak with, or for them, and join in with the group’s activities!
