How to mark the Queens Funeral with children

Published: 14th September 2022

How to mark the Queens Funeral with children

Do what works for you

First things first I wanted to say that you do not need to mark the occasion with children if you do not wish to. People have different feelings about this event, different priorities or may just be overwhelmed by the sobre mood during national mourning. If you would rather avoid the day, then thats totally fine. Most attractions are closed on Monday but you could always mark the day in your own way with a family walk or so on. Do what works for you. As The Queen herself once said "We may hold different points of view but it is in times of difficulty and stress that we most need to remember that we have much more in common that there is dividing us". Whatever your opinions on the Queen or the state funeral remember to be kind to one another.

A time of big emotions

Its a strange time isn't it, many of us are feeling a little overwhelmed, change is in the air and we may not be sure how to feel. The Queen is all we have ever known and its totally understandable to feel a little out of sorts and have waves of sadness.

Undeniably we are living through historic times and one that our children are all too aware of. Every news channel, every radio station, school assemblies and so on all are mainly focused on the passing of our Queen. With this in mind I wanted to put together some ideas of how to mark the day of the Queens Funeral with children.

Some ideas to mark the day

As always I am no expert but merely am including a few ideas that i will be personally doing on monday.

A family walk

No matter the occasion i find that starting the day with a big family walk always clears our minds. Im not entirely sure where we will go but I'm thinking maybe Panshanger to blow those cobwebbs away. There are some ideas for family walks here (do check openings in case they are closed on the day.)

Local places to pay tribute

There are many local places you can lay tributes to the queen such as Hertford Castle, Ware Priory, Cedars Park and many more. If you are looking to mark the occasion without going into London i would highly recommend visiting a designated local attraction to do so. I have such vivid memories of leaving flowers for Princess Diana at our local church when i was 11 years old .

Or perhaps you want to pay tribute in your own way, plant a flower, sew some wild seeds perhaps, whatever you think is appropriate.

Make a collection of queen related memorablia

Very soon our notes and stamps and coins will change. I plan to make a little collection for each child of a selection of coins and a note and a stamp of the queen. This is something that not only helps the children to process change but will also hopefully be a nice keepsake for the future.

Some Queen related activities

These free downloads from local company The Wonderden are perfect and a way to quietly reflect on the occasion. They contain some interesting facts about the Queen, a place to write down memories of her and some child appropriate explanations about what mourning and laying in state are , alongside some other simple colouring activities and wordsearches.

Afternoon Tea/ a spot of baking

I have it on good authority that the Queen used to love a jam sandwich (with butter and no crusts) which she called a jam penny , and ate one daily. We plan to have a small afternoon tea at home with some of the Queens favourite foods. The Queen loved a chocolate biscuit cake for example recipe here.

There is a receipe shared from Buckingham Palace itself for fruit scones too here.

The Ceremony itself

We will be watching the funeral at 11am as a family, my children are 9 and 4 and I am aware it may be a little overwhelming for them, so although I plan to have it on the TV, i will make it clear to my children that although I would like them to watch , it is their choice. I plan to lay out some simple activities for them such as puzzles or the remainder of The Wonderden Pack for them to do should it all be a bit overwhelming.

And most importantly talk to your children

Talk to them about the day, how they feel, answers any questions they may have. There are some great resources here about how to talk to children about the death of the queen.

And how to discuss public grief with children here.