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Heart Healers

Lesson Plan

Heart Healers Lesson Plan

Students will learn to identify and express grief through sharing feelings, practice supportive listening, and create personal memory tokens to honor someone they’ve lost.

Children experiencing loss need guided strategies to process grief. This lesson fosters emotional resilience, empathy, and peer support in a safe small-group setting.

Audience

4th Grade Students

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Sharing, listening, and crafting together

Materials

Grief Reflection Worksheet, Supportive Listening Prompt Cards, Memory Token Craft Supplies (construction paper, markers, ribbon, scissors), and Calm Corner Poster

Prep

Prepare Materials

10 minutes

Step 1

Introduction and Grounding

5 minutes

  • Welcome students and explain the session’s purpose: coping with grief together
  • Lead a brief breathing exercise: inhale for 4 counts, exhale for 6 counts (repeat 3 times)
  • Establish group norms: confidentiality, respect, supportive listening

Step 2

Sharing Feelings

8 minutes

  • Distribute the Grief Reflection Worksheet
  • Invite each student to write or draw one way grief feels to them
  • Ask volunteers to share their reflections, reinforcing that all feelings are valid

Step 3

Supportive Listening Practice

8 minutes

  • Pair students and give each pair a set of Supportive Listening Prompt Cards
  • One student shares a memory of someone they’ve lost while the partner uses prompts to listen (e.g., “I hear you…”)
  • After 4 minutes, roles switch so both practice listening and sharing

Step 4

Memory Token Creation

7 minutes

  • Introduce the idea of a memory token: a small craft to honor someone special
  • Provide craft supplies: construction paper, markers, ribbon, scissors
  • Prompt students to create a shape (heart, star, etc.) and write a word or draw a symbol for their memory
  • Offer support and encouragement as they work

Step 5

Closing Reflection and Calm Down

2 minutes

  • Gather students in the Calm Corner under the Calm Corner Poster
  • Invite one final deep breath together
  • Ask each student to name one positive thing they feel after today’s session
  • Remind them they can revisit their memory token any time for comfort
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Slide Deck

Heart Healers

Coping with Grief Together

A small-group lesson to share feelings, practice listening, and create memory tokens.

Welcome everyone to our Heart Healers session. Introduce yourself and briefly explain that today we will learn healthy ways to cope with feelings of grief. Keep your tone warm and inviting.

Our Objectives & Group Norms

Objectives:

  • Identify and express feelings of grief
  • Practice supportive listening
  • Create a personal memory token

Group Norms:

  • Speak from the heart
  • Listen with respect
  • Keep sharing confidential

Read each objective aloud and check for understanding. Then establish group norms by asking students to suggest one additional rule if needed.

Grounding: Breathing Exercise

  1. Sit comfortably with feet on the floor.
  2. Inhale slowly for 4 counts.
  3. Exhale gently for 6 counts.
  4. Repeat 3 times, feeling calm and present.

Guide students through the breathing exercise step by step. Model slow, calm breaths and remind them to focus on each inhale and exhale.

Sharing Feelings

• Distribute your Grief Reflection Worksheet.
• Draw or write one way grief feels to you.
• Volunteers may share what they created—and remember, all feelings are valid.

Hand out the Grief Reflection Worksheet. Encourage students to draw or write whatever comes to mind. Offer gentle prompts if someone is stuck.

Supportive Listening Practice

  1. Get into pairs and take prompt cards.
  2. Person A shares a memory of someone they’ve lost.
  3. Person B uses prompts to listen (e.g., “I hear you…”).
  4. After 4 minutes, switch roles.

Pair students and hand out one set of prompt cards to each pair. Circulate to model prompts like “I hear you” or “That sounds important.”

Memory Token Creation

• Choose a shape (heart, star, etc.) on colored paper.
• Decorate it with words or drawings honoring your memory.
• Attach a ribbon to hang or carry your token.
• Feel free to add glitter, stickers, or special touches.

Show examples of simple shapes and symbols. Encourage creativity—there’s no right or wrong way to make a token.

Closing Reflection & Calm Down

• Gather under the Calm Corner Poster.
• Take one deep breath together.
• Each student names one positive feeling after today’s session.
• Remind them their memory tokens are here for comfort anytime.

Gather students in the Calm Corner space. Guide one final deep breath and invite each child to share a positive feeling before closing.

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Worksheet

Grief Reflection Worksheet

Use this worksheet to think about your feelings and memories of someone you’ve lost.

  1. Draw or write one way grief feels to you.






  2. Draw or write a memory of someone you’ve lost that makes you feel happy, sad, or both.






  3. List three words that describe how you feel when you think about this person:

  4. One thing that helps me feel better when I’m sad is:




  5. A positive thing I want to remember about them is:




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Activity

Supportive Listening Prompt Cards

Cut these cards apart and place them face down in the center. When it’s your turn to listen, draw one card and use the prompt to guide your response.

• “I hear you, and that matters to me.”

• “That sounds really important to you.”

• “Thank you for sharing that memory.”

• “Tell me more about how that felt.”

• “I can imagine that was hard.”

• “What helped you feel better then?”

• “It seems like that memory is special.”

• “I’m here for you and I care about what you’re saying.”

• “How do you feel when you think about that?”

• “Your feelings are valid—thank you for trusting me.”

• “What is one thing you’d like others to know about that experience?”

• “I appreciate you telling me this.”

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Reading

Calm Corner Poster

Welcome to the Calm Corner—a safe space to pause, breathe, and find comfort. Whenever you feel overwhelmed or sad, follow these simple steps and remember these kind reminders.

1. Get Comfy

  • Find a seat or sit on a cushion.
  • Place your feet flat on the floor.
  • Rest your hands gently in your lap.

2. Breathe with Intention

  1. Inhale slowly for 4 counts.
  2. Hold for 1 count.
  3. Exhale gently for 6 counts.
  4. Repeat 3–5 times, feeling your body relax.

3. Ground Yourself

  • Look around and name three things you see.
  • Listen for two sounds you can hear.
  • Feel one thing you can touch (your shirt, the cushion).

4. Kind Reminders

  • “I am safe, and I can handle this.”
  • “It’s okay to feel what I feel.”
  • “I deserve comfort and care.”
  • “I can return here anytime I need calm.”

Place this poster near a quiet spot with pillows or soft seating. Use this corner whenever you need a moment of peace.

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Heart Healers • Lenny Learning