Kid Talk Flipbook For Review 05.10

It can be an invaluable support to them as they recycle their grief in later years, especially
in adolescence, enabling them to reconnect with their once-fresh feelings and perspective
of their loss.
Facilitators: a minimum of two adult facilitators and preferably a third, are ideal for Kid
Talk. Two are required for safety reasons. It is impossible for one facilitator to read all
the “cues” in the group e.g. recognize who might be wanting to share or who may be
struggling. A third – perhaps a teen “apprentice” – is a wonderful bonus and can be most
helpful with a special- needs or younger child. It is also reassuring to know you have backup
in case of a crisis, so a facilitator can leave the room if necessary. One extra person
sure makes clean-up faster.
Room Set-Up: be creative with the space you have. Ideally, three round tables for a
small group or three sets of two 6’ or 8’ tables pushed together when there are 4 or more
attending. The facilitators sit with the kids and it is important to be able to see each
other’s faces when you are sharing. Cover the tables with plastic tablecloths as required
by an activity. We use Table 1 for “opening table talk” and Our Story book activities.
Table 2 is for “focus” and crafts. Table 3 is for snack prep and eating. We return to Table
1 for “closing table talk.”
Our room has a TV/DVD player, a white board and a CD player. The WELCOME sign, Signin
Sheet and handouts for parents, are on a table just outside the door. If we have
prepared a MEMO for the parents, that is also there. We are very blessed to have such a
comfortable space. However, I have gratefully worked with groups in a closet-sized space.
We can do what we’re called to do, right?
Number of Kids: an ideal number of attendees is 6 to 8 kids, but this depends on your
space. A small group can seem really big with just one child who is challenging. Even
though we ask for pre-registration, we do get surprise arrivals. We always have more
activities than there will be time to finish, so we don’t worry about running out of things
to do. (The Session Log helps keep track of which activities you have completed or may
want to carry over.)
Registration: adults may register on the church website or with the church office staff,
if appropriate. Our Registration Form gives us an overview of the ages, kinds of deaths
and potential needs of the children who will attend. It is extremely helpful to the
facilitators to have completed Kid Talk registration packets and the opportunity to
interview the parents/guardians before the orientation session. The interview follows
the questions asked on the Registration form, found in the Appendix p. 148. This
information means we are better-prepared for numbers and special needs, and it
prompts us to tweak the curriculum to match the anticipated number of children.
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