Elementary Grief Support Toolkit: A Ten Session Series

These ten sessions are designed to guide elementary–aged students through foundational grief concepts using gentle, developmentally appropriate activities, stories, and conversations. Each session offers flexible tools that support professionals can adapt to their unique role and individual needs of the children they support. 

Because grief responses vary widely, it is essential to review each activity through the lens of the child’s age, developmental stage, cultural context, and personal circumstances, modifying as needed to ensure emotional safety and meaningful engagement. 

Important Note: This series is intended for support professionals – such as school counselors, social workers, specialists, and other trained practitioners—who already have foundational experience facilitating group support with children and youth. The session structure and activities assume familiarity with trauma and grief-informed practices, group facilitation skills, and strategies for creating emotionally safe spaces for young people. 

Prior to implementing these sessions, we recommend that professionals take time to strengthen your foundation in grief support fundamentals. To begin, we suggest: 

• Watch Simple Ways to Make a Profound Difference: Supporting Children & Teens Experiencing Grief delivered by Eluna’s Camp Erin Online manager, Kelly Petersohn, LCSW. 

• Read Best Practices for School-Based Support Groups for Bereaved Students, developed by our trusted partners at the National Alliance for Children’s Grief and the Coalition to Support Grieving Students.  

If you are interested in a custom Grief Support training for your staff or community, click here to learn more about Eluna’s Trainings and Workshops. 

SESSION 1 — Building Connection and Introducing Grief  

Purpose: Belonging, safety, and gentle orientation towards grief group purpose. 

Opening: “If you could be any animal what would you be?” 

Activity:  

• • Thumb Ball – This energizing activity invites youth to connect with one another through emotional expression. 

• • Feelings Faces – an activity to identify and draw different feeling faces to prompt a discussion. 

Video Options: 

• • Sesame Workshop: Andrew Garfield and Elmo Explain Grief – In this tender video, Andrew and Elmo explore their grief experiences and expressions. 

• • Sesame Workshop: Jesse Expresses Grief Through Play — reinforces noticing big feelings during play.  

Book/Video Read Aloud Options: 

• • What Does Grief Feel Like? – shares the many ways people can grieve when someone close to us dies and validates children’s unique grief experiences. Open-ended questions throughout the book invite children to share what they are thinking, feeling, and going through. 

Closing:  Print or show this Coping Skills Poster for Youth and have students take turns pointing to one thing from this poster that they will try out today or this week – before the next group session. 

SESSION 2 — Grief Is Unique  

Purpose: Validate that everyone grieves differently; offer two activity paths depending on season. This is in reference to our worksheet titled, “Your Grief is Unique.” 

Opening: “If your feelings are like the weather, what is your forecast today?” 

Activity Options: 

• • Grief Puzzle — students create puzzle pieces showing how grief feels (color, sound, animal, flavor). 

• • Snowflakes Activity — each snowflake symbolizes unique grief experiences and ways we stay connected to others. 

Book/Video Read Aloud: 

• • Grief Is a Mess (Author Series read–aloud) Reinforces uniqueness and emotional variability. Invite youth to reflect about any parts of the story that stood out to them or is connected to their experience.  

Closing: Print or show this Coping Skills Poster for Youth and have students take turns pointing to one thing from this poster that they will try out today or this week – before the next group session. 

SESSION 3 — Grief in Our Bodies 

Purpose: Help children notice where grief shows up physically and normalize those sensations. 

Opening: “Show on your fingers (1–5) how much energy you have today in your body.” (1 = very low energy, 5 = lots of energy) 

Activity Options: 

• • How Grief Shows Up in the Body – this activity normalizes common physical reactions to grief and encourages youth to build awareness about the ways in which they may be experiencing grief now and in the future. 

• • Make a Body Map of Your Grief – an activity to help youth identify where they are holding grief in their bodies. 

Video/Book: 

• • Sesame Workshop: A Digital Story About Grief and Change — uses “Something New” with Jesse and her mom reflecting on how change feels in the body and heart. Invite youth to reflect on the story about anything that stood out to them or connected to their experience.  

Closing: Print or show this Coping Skills Poster for Youth and have students take turns pointing to one thing from this poster that they will try out today or this week – before the next group session. 

SESSION 4 —Seasons of Grief  

Purpose: Discuss how reminders (seasons changing, holidays, remembrance days) can activate big feelings. 

Opening:  “What is your rose, bud, thorn from the day or week?” 

Activity: 

• • Weathering the Storm – an activity for youth to reflect on their ability to weather storms and changes throughout their seasons of grief. 

Video: 

• • Sesame Workshop: ReGrieving as Seasons Change — Jesse and her mom talk about memories and feelings related to her grief. Invite youth to reflect on what they noticed in the video and if anything connects to their experience.  

Closing:  Print or show this Coping Skills Poster for Youth and have students take turns pointing to one thing from this poster that they will try out today or this week – before the next group session. 

Resource to send home for Parents/Caregivers: 

• • Sesame Workshop: Growing as We Grieve – an interactive experience for parents and caregivers to reflect on their own experience of grief and hear what has helped other families cope, thrive, and find joy. Also available in Spanish. 

SESSION 5 — Memory Work (Part 1)  

Purpose: Introduce gentle memory sharing using concrete items. 

Opening:  “What is your high, low, buffalo from the day or week?”  (buffalo can be something silly or random)

Activity: 

• • Forever Blended – Blend two colors of playdough: one representing the child, one the person who died — showing the forever connection 

• • Memory Jar – a creative way to capture memories that can be kept safe and revisited time and time again in group or at home. 

Book/Video Read Aloud: 

• • The Memory Box: A book about grief – The child in the story creates a memory box to keep mementos and written memories of the loved one, to help in the grieving process. 

Closing:  Print or show this Coping Skills Poster for Youth and have students take turns pointing to one thing from this poster that they will try out today or this week – before the next group session. 

Activity to send home to be done with a caregiver: 

• • Memory Scavenger Hunt — students find symbolic items that represent memories or connections with their person. Invite youth to discuss some items that come to mind in group and then you can send this list home with students to find some objects and bring them to the next groups session. 

SESSION 6 — Memory Work (Part 2) 

Purpose: Deepen memory connection through creating something tactile. 

Opening:  “What is one color that matches how you feel today?” 

Activity: 

• • Memory Beads — create a bracelet with symbolic beads that represent meaningful qualities or memories.  

• • You can also share any items that were discovered at home after the scavenger hunt in the last session. (if that activity was sent home and the youth were able to complete) 

Book/Video Read Aloud 

• • Chester Raccoon and the Acorn Full of Memories – A beautiful, touching story about making memories after someone we love dies. 

Closing:  Print or show this Coping Skills Poster for Youth and have students take turns pointing to one thing from this poster that they will try out today or this week – before the next group session. 

SESSION 7 — Coping Skills 

Purpose: Teach foundational coping tools for both expressing and pausing grief feelings. 

Opening:  “What is something from the ocean that represents how you feel today?” (shark, waves, starfish, sea slug, etc.)

Book/Video Read Aloud 

• • One Wave at a Time – After his father dies, Kai experiences all kinds of emotions: sadness, anger, fear, guilt. Sometimes they crash and mix together. Other times, there are no emotions at all—just flatness. As Kai and his family adjust to life without Dad, the waves still roll in. But with the help of friends and one another, they learn to cope. 

Activity: 

• • Stepping IN or OUT of Grief — an activity worksheet to explore a range of coping skills & strategies that may help to Step In and Out of grief. 

• • Ocean Drum – can be used to practice rhythmic, mindful breathing incorporating the sounds to guide and deepen each breath. A special memory of or message to the person being remembered can be used to decorate the drum; creating a meaningful connection to the person who died. 

Book:  

• • The ABCs of Grief – a series of three children’s grief books to chose from for youth. The third book explores grief coping skills in particular. 

Closing:  Print or show this Coping Skills Poster for Youth and have students take turns pointing to one thing from this poster that they will try out today or this week – before the next group session. 

SESSION 8 — Staying Connected and Finding Comfort in the Midst of Grief

Purpose: Support youth in identifying people, places, and things that provide support and comfort in the midst of grief. 

Opening:  “What is something or someone that made you smile this week?” 

Activity:  

• • Supports and Comforts – This activity guides youth in creating a visual reminder of the connections and resources that help them feel cared for. 

Book: 

• • The Invisible String – This heartwarming picture book for all ages explores questions about the intangible yet unbreakable connections between us. 

• • The Rabbit Listened (bilingual)- A poignant book with sweet illustrations about healing heartaches big and small, and taking the time to listen.  

Interactive Game: 

• • Sesame Workshop: Express Yourself Interactive Game – Supports emotional literacy and grief expression through an interactive game with Elmo and Jesse. 

Closing: Print or show this Coping Skills Poster for Youth and have students take turns pointing to one thing from this poster that they will try out today or this week – before the next group session. 

SESSION 9 — Growing Through Grief 

Purpose: Help students see how they grow while still carrying memories and feelings. 

Opening:  “What is something kind that was said to you this week or that you said to someone else?” 

Activity: 

• • Kindness ROCKS! – youth will write meaningful messages of encouragement, love, and kindness and share them with others. In doing so, youth can honor those they are remembering and gently shift their focus to creating positivity and making meaning in the midst of grief. 

Book: 

• • It’s Still OK to Laugh – Through warm language and tender illustrations, this story helps kids understand that it is okay to cry, and it is also okay to laugh and feel joy again. 

Closing: Print or show this Coping Skills Poster for Youth and have students take turns pointing to one thing from this poster that they will try out today or this week – before the next group session. 

SESSION 10 — Sharing Our Story (Final Integration) 

Purpose: Explore and practice storytelling through art/writing; integrate what students have learned. 

Opening:  “What is your favorite book or movie right now?” 

Activity: 

• • Story Writing – youth can use this as a guide to begin putting words or draw pictures to their grief experience, keeping in mind that the process is more important than the product. After writing or drawing parts of their story, they can choose to share, save, or shred.  

• • Safe Storytelling – Grieving the death of a person in your life is part of your personal story – one that you can decide when and where to share. In preparation, it can be empowering to explore different levels of sharing and boundaries that work best for you. This worksheet includes storytelling tips and sample scripts based upon age, relationship, & setting. 

Book: 

• • Heart and the Bottle – a poignant children’s book about love, loss, and grief, following a girl who puts her heart in a bottle to protect it after losing her father, only to find she must later learn to take it out to experience life’s wonder again 

Closing: 

• • The Ways We’ve Grown – As youth color, talk about some positive ways in which they’ve grown since their person died. Have you learned to do old things in new ways? Have you learned something new about yourself or your family? Are you more compassionate, kind, or present?  

• • Print or show this Coping Skills Poster for Youth and have students take turns pointing to one thing from this poster that they will try out today or this week. 

Activity to send home to be completed with a caregiver: 

• • Memory Story Cards – provides youth with the opportunity to learn about their person by asking questions and hearing stories shared by grown-ups who knew the person who died well.