Draw your Grief Monster

What does sadness look like? 

No, we don’t mean: “What do people look like when they’re sad?” 

We mean, what does sadness – as an actual thing – look like to a kid who is experiencing grief? After all, sadness is a natural part of life, especially after we lose someone special. 

At Billy’s Place, we concentrate on identifying emotions. Being able to name a feeling makes it easier to understand and cope with. We take it a step farther in one of our most impactful group night activities, where we work with kids to draw a picture of sadness—what have come to call “Grief Monsters.” 

When a kid can see their sadness as an actual creature, it becomes easier to interact with, understand, and process. Plus, as Melody Logan, Director of Programs says:

“Kids are more likely to show you how they feel than to tell you with words. Giving them opportunities like this one, allows them to express what they are feeling in a more profound way than they are able to do with words.”

Kids thought about what color their sadness would be, what shape or size, what it would say when it came to the door, and other characteristics that make it theirs. They even give their sadness a name. Through this process, the kids gain power over their grief. 

Our goal for this activity is that each kid walks away understanding that sadness never stays forever. In fact, by occasionally inviting sadness in and being ok with it, sadness becomes less hurtful overall. 

If you want to explore this at home, we recommend reading “When sadness is at your door.” This book inspired our Grief Monsters activity and provides excellent context for kids (and all of us!) to think about sadness in a new way.