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Kindergarten
LESSON
Eight
Making Space for Grief & Loss
60 minutes
This lesson is currently under review with Nest Educational Advisors. Please check back later for updates.
Lesson Overview
Students will learn about difficult, challenging, or heavy feelings. This includes how to notice them in their bodies, what to do when they have heavy feelings, and how to ask for and give help when going through things that feel difficult. They will also learn about how keeping their feelings bottled up could cause them to come out in ways that hurt people, and what they can do to prevent this.
Lesson Objectives
- Discuss strategies for managing big feelings in a healthy way.
- Develop skills in asking for help when experiencing heavy feelings.
- Develop ways to support a friend experiencing big feelings.
Materials
Handouts
quicklinks
how to prepare for this lesson
Students will begin this lesson at their desks before standing up and participating in a movement activity. After the movement activity, they will continue the remainder of the lesson at their desks.
Talking about grief and loss in early childhood is an important way to help students process their feelings, validate and acknowledge their loss, and offer healing and copy strategies. Students who have not experienced grief and loss may have many questions or worries after the lesson, and it is wise to leave time in the days following to continue to share resources and remind students that you are there to answer any questions that have come up for them.
Students will need their What’s My Feeling? Handouts to reference throughout the lesson. To save time, distribute these at the beginning of the lesson. At the end of the lesson, students will receive a new Kindness Scout Badge to remind them of the importance of hope. The Kindness Scout Badges: Hope Flowers sheets should be pre-cut into squares, with each student receiving one. Students will then cut them into circles to add to their vests. Distribute student’s Kindness Scout Handouts during this time for them to glue their new badges on. As this is the final lesson of the unit, students will be able to keep their Kindness Scout and What’s My Feeling? Handouts.
Starting on Slide 14, students will explore the concept of grief and how heavy feelings can impact us if we keep them inside. You will need a large brown grocery bag, a stapler, and the Feelings Cards labeled GRIEF, ANGER, SADNESS, SCARED, and PAIN. Prepare the Feelings Cards in advance. During the demonstration, you will use the bag to show how strong emotions can weigh us down. Ensure you are ready to guide the discussion sensitively, as the topic may evoke reactions from students who have already experienced grief..
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