The Arts: A Source of Comfort and Insight for Children who are Learning about Death

Abstract

The expressive arts - literature, film, song - are mediums for dramatic exposure of human experience with loss which reflect concerns present in the student of any age. Expression of the human spirit is not the exclusive province of the professional artist. Students can respond to the artists' perceptions through art expressions of their own (dialogue, drawing).

This paper (1) identifies concerns, consolations and fears of artist and student; (2) illustrates materials and techniques for eliciting feelings and for their expression in aesthetic frameworks; (3) underscores the “mutuality,” - the universality and yet individuality of each mortal experience; (4) sees the arts as a mode of learning to be trusted in its own right; and (5) views the classroom as an appropriate setting for such sharing and study.

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