Chapter 4: Preschool children’s grief

Introduction


What the educator says
Ruth Lindsey-Armstrong, ECE instructor, talks about establishing open lines of communication with families.(3:22)Video transcript
Ruth Lindsey-Armstrong, ECE instructor, talks about working as a team to support children, their families, and each other.(3:22)Video transcript
Ruth Lindsey-Armstrong, ECE instructor, talks about setting up play spaces to support children.(3:22)Video transcript

“His mom hadn’t informed us about anything that was happening at home, but the changes in Matt’s behaviours made it obvious that something was very wrong.  I was shocked though when I did find out that his dad had been diagnosed with ALS”. - Teacher

Many people underestimate the ability of very young children, especially two and three-year olds, to understand issues related to illness, death, and grief. Any infant or child who is old enough to have an attachment to someone is old enough to grieve. Just like older children and youth, young children also benefit from having access to open and honest information about an illness and/or death.