Sympathy Gift Series – Grandparent Loss
Death of a Grandparent
Whether you’re dealing with a grandparent loss, the heartbreaking passing of a loved one or the death of a much-loved pet, the Sympathy Gift Series of books offers a unique and uplifting insight into making a healthy grief recovery as a family.
Explaining death to a child
Young children don’t understand death is a part of life. Consequently, they need simple words and short sentences. So the best approach when explaining the death is to be honest, yet brief. Our books Goodbye Grandma and Goodbye Grandpa can help loving parents like you give gentle, yet age-appropriate explanations about death.
Dealing with loss as a family
Make difficult conversations about death healthy grief recovery experiences for your children with Goodbye Grandma or Goodbye Grandpa.
Simple sentences, along with appropriate photographs and illustrations will help you give gentle age-appropriate explanations about:
• a grandparent’s death,
• the funeral,
• what to expect next, and
• how to recover from grief as a family.
Healthy grief recovery for children
Most comforting of all is Goodbye Grandma and Goodbye Grandpa help all the family find strength, courage and hope. And by encouraging children to talk, share and do they learn how to process grief until they find new happiness.
Both Goodbye Grandma and Goodbye Grandpa suit ages 4-12.
Discover Goodbye Grandma
Not sure how to say, ‘Grandma died.’ Let Goodbye Grandma help.
This grief recovery book is a modern take on the storybook format. But unlike a fictional story, Goodbye Grandma uses true-to-life photographs offset with delightful illustrations to show children of all ages what to expect after Grandma dies.
Altogether, this gentle approach makes difficult discussions about death, grief and loss age-appropriate. But best of all, Goodbye Grandma focuses on talking, sharing and doing until all the family finds happiness again.
As a parent, you can be reassured Goodbye Grandma is a one-book for all the family grief recovery tool. Make a difficult discussion about Grandma’s death gentle, yet age-appropriate and informative.
Explore Goodbye Grandpa
Let Goodbye Grandpa help you tell the kids their grandfather died.
You’ll discover this wonderful book is a modern take on the storybook format. But unlike a fictional story, Goodbye Grandpa uses true-to-life photographs offset with delightful illustrations to show children what to expect after Grandpa dies.
What’s more, this gentle approach makes difficult discussions about the death of a beloved grandparent age-appropriate. Best of all, Goodbye Grandpa focuses on talking, sharing and doing until everyone in the family finds happiness again.
If you’re a parent needing to break the news of a death, Goodbye Grandpa is a one-book for all the family grief recovery tool.
What do psychologists recommend when helping children to cope with death?
Avoid ‘sugarcoating’ death.
Children know when parents are lying to protect them. Use the words death, died or dying along with cremation or burial.
Help children, regardless of age, understand death.
Be guided by their questions as to the level of information given to them. Aim for age-appropriate explanations. Loss and death are a part of the life cycle of all living things. Helping children to understand this builds resilience.
Encourage children to ask questions about death and loss.
Questions about death from children are an excellent way to gauge how much detail to give. And if you don’t have all the answers, be honest. Explore solutions together.
Create opportunities for children to tell their grief story.
Sometimes children are upset by death, but can’t express how or why. So, be a patient listener. Alternatively, use dolls and toys to act out feelings.
Promote the understanding that grieving is a process, not an event.
Allow adequate time to grieve. Children often don’t grieve in an orderly or predictable way. Some will need more time than others. Create a time and place for sharing and talking each day.
Both Goodbye Grandma and Goodbye Grandpa will help you cover all these points using a comforting real-life storybook format.
Further reading about dealing with death
How children understand death.
Should children attend a funeral.
