As the brothers and sisters who helped update this Guide, we know how important it is for all children, regardless of their age, to receive the support they need at this difficult time. When a brother or sister is missing, younger children face many of the same confusing feelings and worries that older children do, even if they can’t put them into words. Having some activities relating to the experience can help younger kids process their feelings.
This section of the Guide was designed to help kids of all ages actively express themselves. The activities can be used by children who are too young to read or understand our words, children who choose not to read the Guide right now, or children who want to engage in some other type of activity.
[To view/access the activities pages, please download the PDF version of the Guide here]
To ensure the activities are appropriate for children dealing with grief and loss, we relied on two organizations to help with this section. The American Hospice Foundation and the National Alliance for Children’s Grief allowed us to use many of their materials and activities. The activity sheets can be
torn out of the guide and stapled together so younger kids have ownership and a “book” of their own. Children and parents can choose activities that are age appropriate.
Please remember that we have selected activities that would have been helpful to us and our younger siblings at the time our brother or sister was abducted. Ultimately, parents need to decide what is best for their children. These suggestions and activities cannot take the place of professional help children
may need at a time like this.
The activities included in the Guide include materials adapted from numerous publications and are used with permission from the American Hospice Foundation (americanhospice.org) and the National Alliance for Children’s Grief (nacg.org). All rights reserved.