Grief and Grief Processing for Preschool Children.

Educators contribute to children's anxiety and pain when they fail to provide children with information about loss and death and ways of coping with loss and death. Children who are denied factual information about experiences of loss and death develop fantasies and misconceptions regarding the experiences and suffer more anxiety and pain than they otherwise would. This paper provides educators with information about concepts that preschool children are capable of understanding during times of loss in order that educators might help young children develop coping skills to use during grieving. The paper describes: (1) different feelings of grief and loss preschool children may experience when they are unable to keep or have someone or something that is meaningful to them; (2 factors that affect preschoolers' understanding of the grief process, such as their limited concepts of death, time, and emotion; (3) behavioral changes of preschool children who are affected by a death in the family; (4) stages of grief experienced by preschoolers; and (5) signs and symptoms of reactions to loss. Helping a child work through the grieving process involves adults' open expression of thoughts and feelings, honesty, and provision of an atmosphere that is safe and friendly. A list of nine behaviors to avoid when helping a child work through the grieving process is provided. Contains 54 references. (SM) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** C(24' U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) nit This document has been reproduced as received from the person Or organizahon ongmE 'mg it C Mmor -nangeS bane been made to .rnprove reproduction duality Points of view or op.n.onS slated .1, inns document do not neceSSar.ty represent official OERI positron or policy GRIEF AND GRIEF PROCESSING FOR PRESCHOOL CHILDREN