"I Don't Want Special Treatment for my Child as an Orphan": The Role of the School on Dealing with Loss and Mourning of Children

The family and school are primary child socialization institutions. They constitute social places where children learn to communicate, develop relationships and cultivate skills being useful in the course of their lives. The... [ view full abstract ]

The family and school are primary child socialization institutions. They constitute social places where children learn to communicate, develop relationships and cultivate skills being useful in the course of their lives. The concepts of "loss", "death" and "mourning" are demanding and sensitive issues, that is why their approach is becoming one of the most important skills in life. Loss is part of life and a child experiences it from an early age, when, for example, he/she loses his/her favorite toy or a puppy or when a relative of the person is seriously ill and even when he/she daily lives with one of the two parents as a result of business responsibilities, divorce or death. Τherefore, it is important that parents and teachers gradually contribute to the development of this skill of preschoolers as it will allow them to recognize, process and express their emotions through realizing the loss and seeking for supportive network. This paper is a literature review of researches in which we attempt to outline psycho-social consequences of loss and mourning to the children according to their age, to give insights into the teachers' role in such a difficult issue in children's lives, to strengthen cooperation between family and school, and to present basic guidelines as for the way we address children who experience a loss. Finally, we present sample educational material that could be used in the classroom to help students to understand and develop relevant skills to contribute to shaping a positive attitude to the involvement of teachers in children's mourning and promote the implementation of death-focused preventive educational programme.