Guided Meditation for Kids: Coping with Grief and Loss

In this kids’ guided meditation for grief and loss, you can help your child cope with the loss of a loved one. Processing grief is an important step in healing. Through mindfulness, your child can feel their feelings in a safe and healthy way, rather than pushing them deep down inside.

This meditation for grief is copyrighted by ShambalaKids and may only be used for in-person or live virtual reading. It may not be recorded for audio/video.

Death or loss of a loved one is hard on people of all ages. It can be difficult to tell how your child is handling a situation of profound sadness because they may not fully know how to process negative emotions. Or witnessing the sadness of those around them can make them feel frightened or anxious, sometimes causing them to shut down.

Whether your family is coping with the loss of a pet, the death of loved one, or another major life change, it’s important to be available for your child. Surround them with love, acceptance, and understanding.

Be open for conversation – in big and small ways. And don’t be afraid to share your own perspective on grief in compassionate ways kids can understand.

This guided meditation script offers your child comfort and support to help process the big emotions death or loss can bring up.

Read it through on your own beforehand so you can narrow down any language (talk about the person or the pet, etc.) Choose any sections you’d like to spend more time with or leave out completely. Count through the breaths as long or as briefly as it feels necessary to help your child relax.

Always watch for your child’s cues. Let them know you are here to listen if they want to talk. They are welcome to interrupt this meditation at any time and share what’s on their mind. They may need to cry. Or they may show very little emotion right now. Any response is fine and normal.

Kids’ Guided Meditation for Grief and Loss

Losing the ability to hug or hold someone or something we love is hard. We feel sad because we think we won’t be able to feel them again or talk to them again.

We are used to experiencing life with our five physical senses. But there is more to this wonderful universe than we can ever imagine. Everything is energy. And energy is never created or destroyed, only transformed.

Through our wonderful expansive mind, we can connect to all things and people – past present and future. Now, through this meditation, we will connect with the loving energy of whoever or whatever you are missing. And we will use our other senses, not our five physical ones, but the extrasensory ones, to connect.

Get into a relaxed position and close your eyes when you’re ready. 

Start to pay attention to your breath, as you slowly breathe in and out. Calm your mind by breathing in peace and relaxation with every breath and breathing out busy thoughts and noise.

Count 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 on the inhale and 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 on your exhale.

Fill up your belly with breath. And allow your entire body to feel so relaxed, almost sleepy, but your mind is very aware. Breathing in 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5… and breathing out 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Now continue to breathe normally and peacefully. 

Feel how relaxed your body is. Each muscle feels loose and like a melted ice cube on a warm day. 

Your mind is at peace. You imagine a warm summer day with a cool breeze. Clouds float by in the blue sky. Birds sing and flutter, and the breeze caresses the leaves on the trees. A wind chime creates a beautiful relaxing melody in the background, and you are at peace. 

As you relax in this special place, you see an image of that person or pet you are missing so much.

They are off in the distance but walking toward you. You see the outline of their body, their beautiful face. They are smiling. You feel a rush of excitement and happiness as they run toward you to pull you into a big hug.

You see them in their perfect state as they were in the best of health and happiness. As you hug them, you feel like you’re wrapped in a giant, warm, loving blanket. You feel their energy, and there is so much peace and comfort.

You see, the energy is always present, whenever we desire to be close. Nothing is really ever lost. In your mind’s eye, you spend time doing something you two love to do, sharing stories, hugging, playing… Whatever it is, enjoy this time together fully. 

In this perfect space of connection and love, you can say whatever you want or need to say. You can express your feelings and your love. And you can truly feel that they are always with you, always loving you.

This hug brings back only happy memories of this loved one.

You can feel their presence while you are in this calm, relaxed, loving state of mind. Spend as much time as you’d like here. 

(Give your child plenty of time to experience this. If they wish to tell you about it, let them talk for as long as they like.)

Now you understand that their loving energy never goes away. Their love is always with you, even when you can’t see it. And these happy memories are always available for you.

When you feel happy and satisfied, bring your full attention back to this room, knowing that you can return to this place at anytime just by closing your eyes and relaxing into this wonderful experience.

Gently guide your child to open their eyes and stretch. Ask if they’d like to talk about anything that came up during the grief meditation.

If they need any help falling asleep afterward, try this sweet sleepy seahorse relaxation.

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