Gentle guidance to help children and families navigate grief, loss, and difficult transitions together. These tools are meant to start compassionate conversations at home.
The National Grief Center for Children & Families. Offers free downloadable toolkits, podcasts, and activities designed specifically for grieving children, teens, and parents.
dougy.orgProvides a comprehensive online resource center and runs Camp Erin, the largest national bereavement camp network for children and teens affected by grief.
elunanetwork.orgGrounded, gentle videos, stories, and interactive activities featuring familiar Sesame Street friends to help young children understand death and express sadness.
sesameworkshop.orgDevelopmentally appropriate strategies for helping children understand death.
Explaining death to a childA website that encourages and supports sharing books/stories about death and loss with children and teens.
Not if but whenA therapeutic board game designed by grief counselors to help children and families talk openly about loss, memories, and emotions in a supportive, play-filled setting.
The Good Mourning GameA playful card & board game created to help younger kids process grief through storytelling, coping prompts, and memory sharing with friendly animal themes. This game is out of circulation but can still be purchased on sites like eBay.
Doggone Grief GameA classic, non-competitive conversation game that encourages gentle expression of feelings, memories, and family bonding without judgment or pressure.
The UngameWhile playing the game of copycat, Bluey finds an injured bird.
Deals with the real-life death of actor Will Lee, who played Mr. Hooper, by gently explaining the permanent concept of death to Big Bird.
Mr. Rogers discovers a dead pet fish, holds a simple burial in the yard, and gently talks about sadness and memories to help young children process grief.
A gentle, slow-paced animated series about a curious young bear cub who goes on imaginative adventures and learns kind life lessons with his friends and family.
A half-human, half-alien boy grows up with a team of magical gemstone guardians, learning to master his inherited powers to save the world through empathy and love.
A murdered canine con artist escapes back to Earth for revenge but ultimately transforms his life by protecting a young orphan girl.
An impulsive hunter is magically transformed into a bear as punishment for killing one out of revenge.
A clever spider named Charlotte weaves words into her web to save her young pig friend from being slaughtered.
An orphaned brontosaurus journeys with four other young dinosaurs across a dangerous prehistoric landscape to reach the safety of the Great Valley.
A young lion cub named Simba overcomes guilt and exile to reclaim his rightful place as king of the Pride Lands after his evil uncle Scar murders his father.
Two young sisters move to the Japanese countryside and befriend a giant, friendly forest spirit while their mother is sick in the hospital.
An eleven-year-old aspiring chef navigates her grandmother's illness with the unexpected guidance of a mysterious ancestor.
Hiro and his inflatable healthcare robot, Baymax, team up with his late brother's friends to form a high-tech superhero squad. (There is also a TV series.)
Follows a young bullfighter as he journeys through afterlife worlds on the Day of the Dead to win back his true love.
Two lonely school children form a deep friendship and build a secret fantasy world in the woods (Terabithia) to escape their hard lives, until a sudden tragedy changes everything.
A young boy travels to the Land of the Dead to learn the truth about his family's musical history.
An orphaned girl and her estranged father bond by using custom-built ultralight aircraft to lead a flock of motherless Canada geese on a safe migration south for the winter. (I checked this out from the library almost weekly as a kid!)
Follows Riley's emotions, addressing topics like grief, sadness, anxiety, and embarrassment.
A young Japanese boy with magical musical powers must find his late father's enchanted suit of armor to defeat a vengeful spirit from his family's past.
A newlywed couple's lives are upended and enriched by their wild, yet lovable Labrador Retriever.
Two teen elf brothers embark on a magical quest to spend one final day with their late father.
An animated musical film about a grieving, science-minded girl who builds a rocket ship to the moon to prove the existence of a legendary moon goddess.
A grieving young girl's sketchbook accidentally falls into a magical pond, bringing her chaotic and terrifying drawings to life to terrorize their small town.
A middle-school band teacher accidentally dies right before his big jazz break and has to team up with an unborn soul to get back.
A grieving elderly widower ties thousands of balloons to his house to fly to South America, accidentally bringing a young boy along for an unexpected journey of healing and friendship.
A grieving, widowed father buys a run-down zoo with his children to give their family a fresh start and work together to fix and reopen it.
A sad young boy learns to accept his mother's terminal illness with the help of a giant, storytelling tree monster.
A biographical drama about a teen with terminal bone cancer who pursues his dream of becoming a musician.
A boy shares how his family remembers and honors his older sister, who passed away before he was born.
Get help explaining death to children with Sesame Street.
When something sad happens, Taylor doesn't know where to turn. All the animals are sure they have the answer, but is it what Taylor needs?
Through the lens of a pet fish who has lost its companion, this book tells a hopeful story about saying goodbye to someone you love.
This book gives very young children a simple, honest way to understand death and the feelings that come with losing someone they love.
A heartwarming guide on supporting sick friends, inspired by the author's childhood experience with cancer.
Introduces the concept of death to young readers by likening life to the ever-moving wind. When the wind is present, things move and fly, but when the wind goes away, things become very still.
A young boy visits his deceased grandfather, focusing on the power of imagination and the love of one's family.
Before her dog Eli gets too old, Astrid makes a bucket list so they can make fun memories together.
Aware their grandmother is gravely ill, four siblings make a pact to keep death from taking her away.
A story about the friendship between a turtle and a hare, this book deals with bereavement in a thoughtful, sensitive manner.
A mother tells her two children that they're all connected by an invisible string.
Joey and his beloved balloon do everything together, until the balloon slips off Joey's wrist and flies far, far away.
A young girl and her dog Lulu are best friends, but when Lulu grows older and weaker, the girl must face the possibility of losing her dear friend.
When someone you love has died, there will be sad days and angry days but also happy days and fun days.
When somebody dies, where do they go? This book is a beautifully crafted poem for children that gently addresses the emotional side of death.
Seven-year-old Rick and his dog Koko are inseparable. But their relationship changes as Koko grows old and his health declines.
A beautifully lyrical story about grief, the loss of a pet, and the unbreakable bond between child and furry friend.
An angel is chosen to be born as a special child, who will give his family healing in the brief time he's with them.
It doesn't take much to start a bug cemetery, but when a beloved pet suddenly dies, how do you mourn a special friend?
One day, the children find a bird lying on its side with its eyes closed and no heartbeat. They are very sorry, so they decide to say goodbye.
Norma and her parents are going to her great-uncle Frank's funeral, but when she arrives at church, she is confronted with rituals and ideas that have never occurred to her before.
What happens when that special someone who encourages wonder and magic is no longer around?
From the perspective of a young child, the author describes what it's like to remember and grieve a loved one who has died.
An exploration of a child's emotions after losing a parent.
Follows Freddie and his companions as their leaves change with the seasons and the coming of winter, finally falling to the ground with winter's snow.
One day, Gus learns that Ida is very sick and isn't going to get better. The friends help each other face the difficult news.
Henry and his mom feel Grandpa's love in all his special places. As they remember the many loving moments they shared, they work through their grief.
Help Conchita celebrate the life of her dearly departed sister as she sets up a memorial altar for her on the Day of the Dead.
Friends don't always stay forever. When even loses his, he destroys the place that meant the most to them.
One remarkable day, Peach and Blue explore the pond that Blue calls home and awaken each other to a world neither has ever really seen before.
An inclusive, age-appropriate, illustrated kid's book designed to help young kids understand their own grief.
Leo has always been a happy little boy, but when his Nana dies, he feels very sad. The last thing Leo thinks he needs is a bunch of furry monsters causing chaos!
Anna's twin brothers have boundless energy, but Grandfather is tired and can't stay awake.
A heartfelt coming-of-age novel about grief, love, loss, and finding your way forward.
In a small but turbulent Louisiana town, one boy's grief takes him beyond the bayous of his backyard, to learn that there is no right way to be yourself.
Thanks to her Ye-Ye's epic scavenger hunts, Ruby knows San Francisco like the back of her hand. But after his death,she feels lost, and it seems like everyone is abandoning her.
When Lily and her family move in with her sick grandmother, a magical tiger arrives, prompting Lily to unravel a secret family history.
A duck strikes up an unlikely friendship wit hdeath.
Includes both English and Spanish Translations of a caregivers section, teachers section, and a story for children.
After her best friend dies in a drowning accident, Suzy is convinced that the true cause of the tragedy must have been a rare jellyfish sting.
Death is an important part of life, yet it is one of the hardest things to talk about (for adults and children).
Leigh is certain that when her mother died by suicide, she turned into a bird. When visiting her grandparents in Taiwan, she is determined to find her mother.
A classic coming-of-age novel that tells the story of Esperanza Cordero.
A tragic accident on the busiest street in Chicago leaves Olga dead and Julia left behind to reassemble the shattered pieces of her family.
If you or someone you love is in immediate danger, please call or text 988 — the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7. This page, and this practice, aren't equipped for emergencies.
Need help finding specific books, local support, or resources for a child in your life? Reach out anytime. I'm glad to help you find what fits.