Having a loved one die is never easy.
Sometimes we don’t know what to say, what to do and what can help…. that’s why we have written this series of videos and the beautiful ‘Teddy with the Hole in its Heart’ book. We want to enable you and your child to understand what grief is and give you skills to work through the grieving process together.
Please do watch the four videos in turn, as each one builds on the information from the previous one.
Please do also consider purchasing the ‘Teddy with the Hole in its Heart’ book. It has been specifically written so as you tell the story of Teddy who has someone special dies, you can personalise it for your child: Teddy can be a boy or a girl and their special person can be whoever your special person is that has died. Reading stories and understanding processes through a story is a time honored tradition and something we know is beneficial for children.
This first video explains what we mean by the terms: Bereavement, Grief and Mourning. It looks at the Waterfall of Grief and also considers the four stages of mourning.
A useful and understandable overview, using evidence based theories.
How children respond to the news someone has died will vary. This video looks at what causes that variety and how to help children at different development stages.
How do you tell children that a loved one has died or is dying?. This sensitive video covers some do’s and don’ts on communicating with children about death..
This video looks at practical things we can do to help our children work through their grief.
The Teddy with the Hole in the Heart book can be purchased through our Shop.
If you want any of our resources posting internationally please email sales@sitgap.org for a price for postage
Other resources you may find useful at this time:
A Game: Apart of me
Apart of Me is a game designed to help you cope with the death of a loved one. Based on psychological research, the app provides a safe virtual space featuring games and quests that teach self-care strategies and help reduce their sense of isolation.
Apart of Me has been featured on BBC Breakfast, ITN and Channel 5 and has been nominated for all sorts of awards.
Winner of Best Youth Focused Emotional Support Application in the 2018 Technology Awards
2018 Pfizer Healthcare Hub awards: Finalist
2018 Tech4Good Awards: Finalist
BAFTA Games Beyond Entertainment 2019: Shortlisted
Most importantly, it has received many lovely comments from people who have played with the game. Rosabella wrote in a Google Play review: “This game is beautiful. It helped me a lot in my time of need. It has calmed my anxiety down tremendously. The rock pool is so useful, I go there when I wake up to start my day nice and when I go to sleep. The stories are my favorite part, I listen to one whenever I can. Thank you for this game, I love it so much.”
It is available on Apple or Android.