Course · 4 steps
Keeping them close
Staying connected to someone who has died is healthy. This course helps your family gather memories and find ways to carry them with you.
A little further on, when you'd like to build a lasting connection with them.
About one step a week is a good pace, but go at your child's speed.
Gathering memories
Children, especially young ones, worry about forgetting. Collecting memories while they're fresh gives them something to hold on to.
In your child's space
Remembering someone special (5 short parts)Unlock to openTogether
Our memory jar (25 min)Things to talk about
- Ask: “What's one thing you never want to forget about them?” Write it down together.
- Look through photos together and tell the stories behind them.
- Ask family and friends to share a memory of them that your child might not know.
What they loved
Remembering what someone loved, and doing some of it, keeps them part of everyday life.
Things to talk about
- Make a list together of things they loved: food, places, songs, jokes.
- Choose one to do this week in their memory.
- Ask: “Is there something they taught you?”
Their story
Telling the whole story of someone's life, not just their death, helps children see the person, not only the loss.
Things to talk about
- Tell your child something about them from before they were born, or when they were young.
- Ask: “What's the funniest thing you remember them doing?”
- Talk about how they are still part of your family's story.
Something to keep
A keepsake gives a child something to hold when they miss someone: on hard days, at school, at bedtime.
In your child's space
Do something good (6 min)A letter to someone who died (10 min)A goodbye plan (8 min)Things to talk about
- Ask your child whether they'd like something of their to keep.
- Talk about where they'd like to keep it, and when it might help.
- Say: “Missing them is a sign of how much we love them. That doesn't go away, and that's OK.”