Bereaved Families of Ontario

South Central Region

 

Coping With Grief

Through Creative Arts

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Memory Lantern: A Grief Activity for Kids

Supplies:

  • Colored tissue paper      

  • Scissors

  • Thin tip markers

  • Mason jar

  • Glue or Modge Podge

  • Brush for spreading Glue or Modge Podge

  • Other seasonal decorations or stickers (optional)

Steps:

1. Explain the Activity:

Start by letting kids know what they will be doing: making a lantern. Let them know you want these lanterns to be special lanterns  with good memories of the person who they are grieving.

2. Cut Tissue Paper

Let the child choose the tissue paper colors they want to use. Cut the paper into 3 or 4 pieces that are big enough to draw on, and then some smaller pieces.

Note: You can start this activity with pieces of pre-cut tissue paper, perhaps if you have scrap tissue paper leftover from birthday gift bags.

3. Share Memories:

Ask the child to think of some of their favorite memories of their loved one, a letter to their loved one or things they would do together, places they would go, funny jokes they told, etc.

Have them either write the memory or draw the memory on the tissue paper.  It is tough to write on tissue paper, which is why we recommend using markers.

Repeat this with several different memories.

4. Glue tissue paper

Glue some of your smaller tissue scraps to the mason jar. Do this by painting a small area of your jar with glue or Modge Podge and pasting them to the surface of the jar. Repeat until you have the jar covered.

Now glue your larger “memory” pieces.  Brush a light coat of glue or Modge Podge on top of the first layer of tissue and place the large “memory” tissue pieces on top, smoothing them out as you go. Be careful not to use too much glue or Modge Podge, as it could cause the ink to bleed.

5. Let the lantern dry and place a real or LED candle inside.

 
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Glitter Calming Jar Activity

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You will need:

  • Glass or plastic jars with lids

  • 1/2 cup glitter glue or clear glue

  • Food Colouring

  • Distilled water

  • Hot glue gun

  • 1–2 teaspoons glitter (optional)

Steps:

  1. After gathering supplies, pour 1/2 cup of distilled water into the jar. We used 16-ounce glass mason jars, but plastic water bottles would work as well.

  2. Invite kids to pour 1/2 cup of glitter glue or clear glue into the jar. If you use our exact ingredients and recipe, it will take about 2 minutes for the glitter to settle in the jar.

  3. If you are choosing to do so, add 1–2 teaspoons of extra glitter to the jar.

  4. Fill up the remainder of the jar with distilled water and add your choice of food colouring in wanted.

  5. Use a hot glue gun to squeeze a ring of glue around the lid of the jar. Press the lid onto the jar and secure with the metal ring.

  6. Shake the jar well to distribute the glitter. (It took many shakes and a rest overnight to convince the glue to disperse completely.)

How to Use the Glitter Jar:

Before you give a glitter jar to a child, you can teach them how to use it. Invite your child/teen to sit down comfortably. Encourage them to shift their gaze to the swirling glitter, breathing deeply in and out as they watch it sink to the bottom of the jar.

Next, invite them to notice the calm feeling moving through their body as they breathe. Perhaps their feet feel heavy and warm, and that feeling is moving up towards their shoulders. As they breathe, ask them to notice how their heartbeat feels steady and their body temperature feels just right. All the while breathing in…and out. As the glitter settles and the water clears, so will their thoughts, feelings, and body.

Or let them use self discovery to utilize the glitter jar.