A child's hand creating a colorful painting, surrounded by vibrant splashes of paint and art supplies, depicting the use of art as a form of expression and healing for grieving children.

Creative Outlets for Grieving Children – Art, Play, & Expression

Unfortunately, grieving is a natural part of our lives. Grieving is a complicated process for anyone to navigate – and that process can be even more challenging for children. Children’s brains are still developing, and depending on how old they are when they experience a loss, their brains may not be fully capable of processing grief or loss.

Children can often be overlooked when it comes to grief – partly because children may not express their grief or pain in words. Maybe they don’t fully understand how to express their feelings in words or perhaps they’re fearful or embarrassed to share. Children are more likely to express themselves in creativity and behavior than words. 

That’s why we highly recommend supporting grieving children in creative ways that are not just talk-focused. They may feel more comfortable expressing themselves in this way and it will likely feel more natural to them. Continue reading as we share creative outlets for grieving children.

Benefits of Creative Outlets for Grieving Children

Creative outlets and creative expression have made huge splashes in the mental health world in recent years. More and more individuals are seeing the great benefits that creative outlets have to offer for those who are grieving or in pain. Creative expression is an evidence-based practice to help those process big emotions and traumatic events. 

Some of the benefits of creative expression include:

  • It provides individuals with a safe outlet to express themselves
  • It allows individuals to freely express themselves
  • It encourages and promotes creativity and emotive expression
  • It strengthens distress tolerance

According to a 2016 study published in the Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, less than an hour of creative expression or activity can reduce your stress levels and have a positive impact on your mental well-being.

Art as a Creative Outlet for Grieving Children

Art therapy can be incredibly beneficial for grieving children. As mentioned above, art therapy allows children a safe place to freely express themselves. Art and creative expression allow children to form a connection between their hearts, minds, and hands. This means they can freely express their emotions without having to use words. 

There are many artistic outlets available for grieving children. Here is a list of some ideas to help support a grieving child:

  • Fingerpainting their emotions (this can look like pairing colors with emotions)
  • Participating in intuitive creative expression (allowing the child to simply draw whatever they feel drawn to)
  • Creating photo collages or a scrapbook with favorite photos of your loved one
  • Creating and decorating a “memory box” to keep meaningful items
  • Planting a memorial garden
  • Listening to relaxing music
  • Intuitive movement (allowing self to move their body in any way they choose to)

Play as a Creative Outlet for Grieving Children

Play is essential for grieving children. Play, for children, can serve multiple functions. It can help them enjoy themselves and have fun, but it can also help them process big emotions such as grief. Children may use play to act out their emotions or how they’re feeling. 

This can look like children using dolls or stuffed toys to act out the event itself. Again, this provides them with creative expression without having to use words. Provide your grieving child with toys and fidgets to help them express their feelings. Play therapy has been found to help children process their emotions and work through their problems. 

Here are some play outlet ideas to help a grieving child:

  • Solving a maze (mazes can mirror the grieving process, so exploring mazes can help children explore their grief)
  • Roleplaying (allowing the child to roleplay grief may help them feel more comfortable expressing it)
  • Playing board games

Conclusion

Grief is difficult for everyone to navigate, and this process can be even more challenging for children. Bringing creative outlets and expression to a grieving child can truly help them cope and process their emotions in a way that feels more natural and comfortable for them.