Lesson Plan
Healing Hearts Lesson Plan
Students will learn to identify and express feelings of grief through discussion and drawing, and practice simple coping strategies and peer support.
Grief can be confusing for young children. This lesson builds emotional literacy and resilience by normalizing feelings, teaching healthy expression, and fostering a caring peer community.
Audience
2nd Grade
Time
30 minutes
Approach
Emotion identification, art expression, and group sharing.
Materials
Emotion Thermometer Poster, Grief Feeling Faces Cards, Healing Hearts Reflection Journal Pages, Box of Tissues, and Crayons or Colored Pencils
Prep
Prepare Materials
10 minutes
- Print and laminate Grief Feeling Faces Cards.
- Print one copy of Healing Hearts Reflection Journal Pages per student.
- Display the Emotion Thermometer Poster in a visible spot.
- Arrange chairs in a circle for group sharing.
- Place a box of tissues within reach of all students.
Step 1
Warm-Up and Check-In
5 minutes
- Welcome students to the circle and invite each to name one feeling they have today.
- Introduce the Emotion Thermometer Poster and model how to point to where your feeling sits on the thermometer.
- Explain that today we’ll learn about grief — a feeling of sadness when we miss someone or something.
Step 2
Understanding Grief Feelings
7 minutes
- Show the Grief Feeling Faces Cards one by one.
- Ask students to name the emotion on each card and share if they’ve felt it when missing someone.
- Validate responses: “It’s okay to feel this way; grief can look like many feelings.”
Step 3
Expressive Drawing
10 minutes
- Distribute Healing Hearts Reflection Journal Pages and crayons.
- Prompt: “Draw something that shows how you feel when you miss someone or something.”
- Encourage use of colors, shapes, or symbols that represent their feelings.
- Circulate to offer support and reassurance.
Step 4
Group Sharing and Support
5 minutes
- Invite volunteers to share their drawing and explain their choices.
- Teach simple peer response: “I see you drew…, I’m here for you.”
- Encourage classmates to offer kind words or nod in support.
Step 5
Closing and Coping Strategies
3 minutes
- Recap key coping ideas: talking, drawing, deep breaths.
- Lead the class in one deep-breath exercise together.
- Let students know they can use drawing or talk to a friend/teacher whenever they feel grief.
- Offer tissues to anyone who needs one.
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Slide Deck
Healing Hearts
Dealing with grief: understanding and expressing feelings (2nd Grade Tier 2 Group Lesson)
Welcome students. Introduce today’s lesson: learning about grief and healthy ways to express it. Explain we’ll talk, draw, and support each other in 30 minutes.
Warm-Up and Check-In
- Each student names one feeling they have today
- Point to where that feeling sits on the Emotion Thermometer Poster
- Introduce grief: a feeling of sadness when we miss someone or something
Invite each student to share one feeling they have today. Point to the Emotion Thermometer Poster and model how to show your feeling. Explain grief as sadness when we miss someone or something.
Understanding Grief Feelings
- Show each card from the Grief Feeling Faces Cards
- Ask: “What emotion is this?”
- Invite: “Have you felt this when you miss someone?”
- Reinforce: “It’s okay to feel this way. Grief can look like many feelings.”
Hold up each card from the Grief Feeling Faces Cards, one at a time. Ask students to name the emotion and share if they’ve felt it when missing someone. Validate every response.
Expressive Drawing
- Hand out Healing Hearts Reflection Journal Pages and crayons
- Prompt: “Draw something that shows how you feel when you miss someone or something.”
- Encourage use of colors, shapes, or symbols to show feelings
Distribute one page of Healing Hearts Reflection Journal Pages and crayons. Prompt students to draw how they feel when they miss someone or something. Circulate to offer support and ask open questions.
Group Sharing and Support
- Volunteers show their drawing and explain it
- Teach responses: “I see you drew ___. I’m here for you.”
- Class offers kind words or a supportive nod
Invite 2–3 volunteers to share their drawing. Teach the class to respond: “I see you drew ___. I’m here for you.” Encourage nods and kind words.
Coping Strategies
- Talking with someone you trust
- Drawing or writing about your feelings
- Deep-breathing exercise: inhale 4, hold, exhale 4
Let’s try one deep-breath together now.
Recap the coping strategies. Lead the class in a simple deep-breath exercise: inhale for 4, hold, exhale for 4. Model it slowly.
Closing and Next Steps
- You can draw or talk to a friend or teacher when you feel sad
- Remember: you are not alone and you can use these coping ideas
(Tissues are here if you need them)
Remind students they can draw or talk whenever they feel grief. Thank them for sharing. Offer tissues to anyone who needs one.
Reading
Emotion Thermometer Poster
Use this feeling thermometer to show how strong your feelings are. Point to the feeling that matches how you feel today.
Level 7 (Top – High Sadness)
💔 Extreme Sad – I feel very heavy-hearted and miss someone or something deeply.
Level 6
😭 Very Sad – I’m crying or almost in tears because I feel upset.
Level 5
😢 Sad – I feel unhappy or tearful when I think about missing someone or something.
Level 4
😟 Worried – I feel nervous or scared about missing someone or something.
Level 3 (Middle)
😐 Okay – I feel neither very happy nor very sad, just in between.
Level 2
🙂 Happy – I feel good and can smile, even if I sometimes miss someone.
Level 1 (Bottom – Low Sadness)
😊 Calm – I feel peaceful and relaxed, not too sad.
(Students can point with their finger or a clothespin to the level that shows how they feel on the thermometer.)
Activity
Grief Feeling Faces Cards
Use these cards to name and talk about different grief-related feelings. Show the face, read the word, and ask: “Have you ever felt this when you miss someone or something?”
😢 Sad (Level 5)
I feel unhappy or tearful when I think about missing someone or something.
😭 Very Sad (Level 6)
I’m crying or almost in tears because I feel upset about missing someone or something.
💔 Extreme Sad (Level 7)
I feel very heavy-hearted and miss someone or something deeply.
Journal
Healing Hearts Reflection Journal Pages
Use these pages whenever you feel sad or miss someone. You can draw, write, or both – there is no right or wrong way to express your feelings.
1. Share a Memory
Think of someone or something you miss. Why are they or it special to you?
2. Draw Your Feelings
Draw a picture showing how you feel when you miss them or it. Use colors, shapes, or symbols to show your emotions.
3. Coping Ideas
List three things you can do when you start to feel sad or miss someone.
1.
2.
3.
4. My Helpers
Who can you talk to when you feel grief? Write their name and how they help you feel better.
Keep these journal pages somewhere safe. Remember, drawing or writing about your feelings can help your heart feel lighter. You are not alone, and your feelings matter.