I was astonished to hear a highly intelligent boy of ten remark after the sudden death of his father: "I know father’s dead, but what I can’t understand is why he doesn’t come home to supper." — Sigmund Freud, Interpretation of Dreams

Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary. The people we trust with that important talk can help us know that we are not alone. — Fred Rogers

This workshop concerns talking with children about death and grief. Participants reflect on their own childhood experiences of death. They also consider their adult experiences of talking with children about death as a “part of life” concept and as parents or caregivers when children are grieving. The workshop offers guidance about such conversations and invites participants to see the guidance applied in children’s books and a video.

Send a reminder to participants two or three days ahead of the workshop and include information about preparation from Workshop 4, Handout 1, Looking Ahead to Workshop 5.

Goals

This workshop will:

• Examine the challenges of talking with children about death
• Introduce resources to help children become more comfortable talking about death
• Help adults increase skills and comfort in talking about death with children.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

• Explore their own childhood experiences of death
• Explore their adult experiences of talking about death with children
• Gain knowledge of print, online, and video resources that are helpful in talking about death with children
• Increase skills and comfort in talking about death with children.