Resources for and About Grade School Kids (Ages 6-12)
Adults often feel helpless when grade school-aged children are experiencing loss and grief. We know they must be suffering, but we don’t know how much they know, how much they understand, what to say, what not to say, what would be helpful, or how to avoid making things worse. The stigma of substance use disorder, with all its shame and “no-talk” rules, makes the adult supporter’s role even more difficult.
Clicking on the "VIEW HERE" buttons in the boxes below will take you to resources developed by national experts, and some of them by children who have experienced profound loss and grief and found great resilience. These resources include checklists, podcasts, videos, infographics, articles, booklets, and activities. The activities are particularly important, because children learn and integrate their experiences through play. What you learn on this journey might make your support for kids safer and more effective.