25 Things to Do
When Grandpa Passes Away,
Mom and Dad Get Divorced, or
the Dog Dies

Kids need ways to acknowledge death and loss—and they need to express their sense of grief physically. Some children need activities we consider traditional: they conduct ceremonies or write letters to the people they’ve lost. Others, full of the anger that is a normal stage of grief, need to pound and punch, run and jump. Yet others express their grief through art.

This book combines a description of the grieving process with directions for activities that help bereaved children. Kanyer explains the value of each activity so parents and caregivers can select appropriate projects based on the child’s age, loss, and stage in the grieving process. She also discusses how learning about grief prepares children for new relationships and to accept losses later in life.

In 2010, the continuing military deployments of parents made 25 Things to Do When Grandpa Passes Away, Mom and Dad Get Divorced, or the Dog Dies one of the best-selling Parenting Press titles. Hundreds of copies at a time were purchased by such programs the Military Child Education Coalition, a nonprofit which works to ensure educational opportunities for all military children affected by mobility, family separation, and transition, and Navy Safe Harbor, the lead program in providing non-medical care for injured or ill Coast Guard and Navy members and their families during recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration.

Laurie Kanyer is a Yakima, Washington educational consultant who specializes in human development across the lifespan. She is also the parenting columnist for the Yakima Herald-Republic. This book evolved from her research on how people parent when they are suffering a life-threatening illness.