The following books are suitable for use in assemblies, classes, small groups, one-to-one support, and for recommending to families. Each book can be purchased and either given to or read with the child. In addition, we have developed guided activity plans for each book to provide ongoing support for bereaved children - going beyond proactive planning and reactive care (for further guidance on this, please refer to my blog, Compassionate Education: How Schools Can Support Bereaved Children in the blog section).

Our guided activities use each book as inspiration for both conversation and craft. We provide advice on how to use each book with bereaved children, including key questions to ask, support notes, and ways to close each session, ensuring that children feel supported, reassured, and comfortable enough to return to their school day. All of the books address themes of love, loss, death, and grieving. Depending on the book, our activities expand on these themes to explore memories, connections and attachment, feelings, coping strategies, and change.

Best practice involves creating a safe and supportive space for discussing death and grief - ideally a calm, uninterrupted environment outside the usual classroom setting. A Nurture Room or Reflective Space is perfect as it is an established calm and safe space within a busy school. Consider the arrangement of seats to best suit the activity you have planned and don’t be afraid to change it with the children for different parts of the session - physical movement often energises focus and concentration, and can relieve tension if you have discussed a particularly challenging emotion or experience (think about how children often ‘puddle jump’ in and out of dealing with big emotions). The session should be led by a trusted adult who has an established positive relationship with the children. Each session should encourage the use of compassionate language, offer non-judgmental support, and allow children to express their thoughts and feelings openly, without fear of being judged or misunderstood. Consider setting these ground rules and expectations at the beginning of each session, ensuring children know they can choose to contribute as much or as little as they feel comfortable with.

Supporting a bereaved child can be hard. It is important for your own mental health and for your ongoing development as an educational practitioner to take time to reflect on the session you’ve just delivered. On your own, or in conversation with a colleague, consider the following questions: What worked well and why? What questions or discussion was I surprised by? What will I do differently next time?