Good Grief Littles · Ages 3–8
Supporting connection, love and memory after loss
The Good Grief Littles Kit is our Early Years Bereavement Kit, developed by Noah’s Story Charity to support young children aged 3–8 following the death of someone important in their life. Grounded in Continuing Bonds Theory and informed by best practice in child bereavement support, it offers simple, age-appropriate ways for children to express feelings, maintain connections with their loved one and create meaningful memories.
Ages 3–8
Why this matters in early childhood
Early childhood is a critical developmental period. Experiences of bereavement can influence a young child’s sense of safety, attachment and emotional wellbeing - and research demonstrates that supportive adults, open communication and opportunities for remembrance can significantly improve children’s adjustment following loss.
Rather than encouraging children to “move on” from a person who has died, contemporary bereavement research recognises that maintaining a healthy, ongoing bond can support emotional wellbeing and resilience. Children benefit from opportunities to remember, talk about, and feel connected to the person who has died while continuing to enjoy everyday childhood experiences.
By offering practical tools that promote connection, expression and memory-making, the Good Grief Littles Kit aims to normalise grief, reduce isolation and support young children in developing healthy, lifelong ways of carrying their loved one with them.
Our foundation
Continuing bonds for young children
Continuing Bonds Theory (Klass, Silverman and Nickman, 1996) challenged earlier assumptions that healthy grieving required detachment from the person who has died. Instead, it recognises that maintaining an enduring emotional connection can be a normal and healthy part of adapting to loss. Research suggests that children who are supported to keep meaningful connections often experience a stronger sense of security, identity and emotional continuity. For a young child, that connection can look like:
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Talking about the person who died
Gentle, everyday conversations that keep their loved one part of family life.
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Looking at photographs
Familiar faces and shared moments a child can return to whenever they want.
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Sharing stories and memories
Storytelling that helps children understand relationships continue through memories.
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Remembrance rituals
Simple family rituals that make space for remembering together.
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Comfort objects
Feeling comforted by objects associated with their loved one.
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Art, play and nature
Creating symbolic connections through creative expression, play and the world around them.
What’s inside the kit
Kit contents and evidence base
Every item in the Good Grief Littles Kit has been chosen with care. Together they give young children simple, age-appropriate opportunities to remember, express feelings, ask questions and create lasting memories.
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Picture book by Patrice Karst
The Invisible String
How this supports grief
The Invisible String is widely used by bereavement practitioners, educators and children’s mental health professionals. The story introduces the idea that love remains connected between people even when they are physically apart.
The book helps children:
- Understand that love continues after death
- Feel connected to people who are no longer physically present
- Reduce feelings of separation anxiety
- Develop language to discuss loss and attachment
Connection to Continuing Bonds Theory
The metaphor of an “invisible string” supports the understanding that relationships continue beyond physical presence. It gives young children a concrete, developmentally appropriate way to understand ongoing attachment to a loved one who has died.
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Comfort object - small enough to hold in a little hand
Worry Bear
How this supports grief
Young children often express grief through worries, clinginess, sleep difficulties or changes in behaviour rather than words. The Worry Bear is a comforting transitional object that can help children:
- Feel emotionally secure
- Express fears and worries
- Develop self-soothing skills
- Feel a sense of companionship during difficult moments
Connection to Continuing Bonds Theory
The bear can become a symbolic holder of memories, feelings and conversations about the person who has died. Children may talk to the bear, share memories, or hold it close at times when they miss their loved one - an approach that reflects research showing symbolic and imaginative play supports emotional processing in bereaved young children.
Small enough to be carried in a pocket or backpack, it offers a discreet source of reassurance that can accompany a child through their day - at nursery, at school, visiting family, or whenever it is needed.
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Poem for sharing and reading together
“Remembering” - a Winnie-the-Pooh poem
How this supports grief
The poem gently communicates that memories allow loved ones to remain present in our hearts and minds despite physical absence.
Reading it together helps children:
- Understand that remembering is an important part of love
- Build emotional literacy through shared reading
- Begin conversations about the person who died
- Enjoy family storytelling and memory sharing
Connection to Continuing Bonds Theory
Memory-sharing is one of the most widely recognised continuing bond activities. Recalling special moments reinforces a child’s understanding that relationships continue through stories, feelings and remembrance.
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Remembrance activity - two stones, paints and instructions
Memory Stones Activity
How this supports grief
Children are invited to decorate two stones. One stone stays with them as a keepsake, and the second is placed somewhere meaningful - a grave or memorial site, a beach, a favourite walk, a special family place or a garden remembrance area.
The activity helps children:
- Express their feelings creatively
- Develop a tangible connection with memories
- Take part in family remembrance rituals
- Experience a sense of ongoing connection
Connection to Continuing Bonds Theory
Rituals and symbolic acts are recognised as important ways of maintaining continuing bonds. The paired stones represent both closeness and connection across distance, reinforcing the message that relationships endure despite physical separation. The activity also supports what bereavement researchers describe as “meaning-making” - helping children understand that remembrance can be part of everyday life.
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Age-appropriate booklet produced by Barnardo’s - printed, and free to download
Barnardo’s Grief and Loss Booklet
How this supports grief
Each Good Grief Kit includes an age-appropriate grief and loss booklet produced by Barnardo’s, with guidance and activities that help children and families:
- Understand common grief reactions
- Explore feelings associated with bereavement
- Develop coping strategies
- Ask questions about death and loss
- Create opportunities for family discussion
- Access further support if needed
Children do not grieve in a linear way. As they grow and reach new developmental stages, they often revisit their grief with new questions and perspectives - the booklet is an ongoing resource families can return to whenever it is needed.
Connection to Continuing Bonds Theory
The booklet complements the Good Grief activities by encouraging children to explore memories, feelings, relationships and ongoing connections with the person who has died - in keeping with Continuing Bonds Theory’s understanding that grief involves adapting to loss while maintaining meaningful emotional connections.
Supporting Good Grief
Key aspects of healthy grief adaptation
Together, the items in the Good Grief Littles Kit support key aspects of healthy grief adaptation.
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Emotional expression
Children are given safe opportunities to express feelings through stories, play and creative activities.
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Ongoing connection
Activities help children maintain age-appropriate bonds with the person who has died.
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Remembrance
The kit encourages memory sharing and family conversations about the loved one.
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Security and comfort
Comfort objects and predictable activities help children feel safe during times of change.
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Family communication
Parents and caregivers are given natural opportunities to talk about loss and answer children’s questions.
For parents and caregivers
You don’t need the perfect words
Many adults worry about saying the “wrong thing” following a bereavement. The Barnardo’s resource included with the kit offers practical suggestions and reassurance that can build caregiver confidence and support open, honest conversations about grief.
Research consistently highlights that children benefit most when grief support extends beyond a single intervention and involves trusted adults within their everyday environments. The kit is designed to be used at home, together - helping families continue grief conversations and revisit them as a child’s understanding of loss evolves.
If you are looking for wider support for yourself or your family, our How we can help page is a calm place to begin, and you can find further reading on our resources page.
Status: Pilot
Where this work is today
The Good Grief Littles Kit has been developed as one of the programme’s four age-stage kits. Distribution through GP practices begins with a pilot: we will establish our first Good Grief Partner Practice - the Year One focus of our 2027–2031 strategy.
For GP practices, the kit is designed as an accessible, low-cost, early intervention resource that promotes emotional wellbeing, strengthens family resilience, and gives bereaved children practical opportunities to maintain healthy continuing bonds with the person who has died. It can be offered alongside routine bereavement support - and, as our work develops, we aim to explore social prescribing pathways. Read more about Good Grief in GP practices.
Request a kit
Interested in Good Grief Littles?
A Good Grief Kit costs £22. Tell us that Good Grief Littles (ages 3-8) is the kit you are asking about and we will come back to you about how to get one. The same short form covers all four kits.
