Before watching the video
This series of videos, taken from Operation Ouch!, link to the statutory relationships and health education guidance, and the non-statutory PSHE programme of study.
As with all PSHE-related content,a safe teaching and learning environment should be established before class viewing. It is important to watch the video before viewing, to ensure it is suitable for your pupils and works within your curriculum planning.
Please ensure you have read the teacher guidance before using in the classroom.
Be aware of and sensitive to those children who may have experienced grief or loss.
Watch the video
CHRIS: Hey, Xandy. What's going on?
XAND: It's Mrs Test Tube, Chris. She's gone.
CHRIS: I'm really sorry.
XAND: I'm gonna miss her so much. And I feel quite all over the place really. I feel angry that she left so suddenly and I just feel really, really sad.
CHRIS: Sounds to me like you're experiencing something called "grief". It's the set of emotions that you feel when you lose something or someone that you really care about. It's time for today's Mindbooster.
CHRIS: Everybody, we need your help. Xand at the moment is experiencing something called "grief". Now, do any of you know the kind of feelings that you have when you're grieving?
ALFRED: Anger.
CHRIS: He might be angry, mightn't he? Okay, so I'll put that there.
MIKA: He might be feeling scared.
CHRIS: That's a great answer.
SIENNA: He might be feeling a bit guilty?
CHRIS: Guilt is a big part of grief.
BOY: Anxiety?
CHRIS: Anxious.
GIRL: Upset?
VOICE-OVER [CHRIS OR XAND]: Amazing ideas. In fact, this lot have loads of suggestions.
XAND: So, grief is one of the toughest things that any of us can go through. And it can happen for lots of different reasons. It might be the death of a loved one or a family pet. But it might also be something like your parents getting divorced or moving house. It affects everyone differently and it can come and go in waves.
CHRIS: The important thing that all of you have to remember is that grief is natural, it's normal, it's the way that your brain and body deal with loss.
VOICE-OVER [RONX]: But how can you help someone who is dealing with grief?
VOICE-OVER [CHRIS OR XAND]: Time for our Ouchers to get into groups and have a go.One of them will pretend they've recently experienced a loss while the others offer advice.
GIRL: My dog died.Do any of you have pets?
GIRL 2: I do.I know how you feel. It's very sad.
SIENNA: What could we do to make you feel better?
CHRIS: They're offering sympathy yet being kind and just allowing her to talk through her happy memories. That's a really important part of the healing process.
ALFRED: Do you have anyone who you could talk with?
MIKA: Yeah, my, erm, mum and dad. And you guys.
XAND: When you're grieving you can feel very lonely and very isolated, and sharing your feelings with people, whether it's people who are grieving as well or not, is a really important thing to do.
BOY: What do you think would cheer you up?
MIKA: Dancing. But I don't really feel up to doing it.
XAND: Sometimes it's good to do a thing that you're used to doing. Let someone be sad but also sort of encourage them to stick to a routine.
Sadly, at some stage in all of our lives we'll have to deal with grief ourselves or we'll know some-one else who's going through it.
VOICE-OVER [RONX]: If you're worried about a friend, you can always tell an adult you trust.
CHRIS: And you lot have done a brilliant job today, helping us understand what grief is and how we deal with it.
Grief: video summary
In this video, Dr. Chris and Dr. Xand introduce the concept of grief as the range of feelings that people may feel after losing someone or something important to them. They engage a group of schoolchildren in a discussion, explaining how grief is a natural response and explore how grief can feel different for everyone, encouraging pupils to share their own ideas and observations.
The video includes a practical activity designed to help children understand how they can support someone who is grieving. Through this exercise, students learn empathetic listening, the importance of kindness, and simple ways to offer comfort. The approach is age-appropriate and supports emotional literacy, helping children learn how to use a range of vocabulary to talk about their own and others feelings.
Suggested activities
Ask pupils to identify feelings associated with grief which are mentioned in the film. Can they identify any others?
Pick out some less obvious emotions (for example: guilt, fear, anxiety): why might someone feel these things as part of grief?
In pairs of small groups, ask pupils to identify events which might lead to feeling grief: remind them that grief isn’t always felt only when someone or something has died, but can also happen when there is a big change in someone’s life.
In the film, how do her friends help the girl feel better? What do they say or do? Can pupils think of anything they might say or do if someone they knew was experiencing grief? Give them a sentence starter such as ‘If my friend was grieving I could…’ or ‘Helpful things to say to someone who is grieving are…’.
Ask pupils to draw a person, or the outline of a body. Ask them to use the list of feelings associated with grief to indicate where in or on the body we might feel these things (e.g. anxiety in the stomach or throat; sadness in the head or on the face).
You can watch more Operation Ouch! on iPlayer.
External links:
More videos from this series
Anxiety. video
Dr. Xand and Dr. Chris discuss anxiety with a group of schoolchildren.
Stress. video
Dr. Ronx tries out some stress-busting techniques with schoolchildren.
Immune system video
Dr. Xand and Dr. Chris investigate how our immune systems work.
Vomit. video
Dr. Xand and Dr. Chris look at the biological process of vomiting.
Diarrhoea. video
Dr. Xand and Dr. Chris look at the causes and symptoms of diarrhoea.
Food. video
Dr. Xand and Dr. Chris test the energy values of different foods.
Healthy heart video
Dr. Ronx teams up with a group of schoolchildren to explore how to keep the heart healthy.
Spots. video
Dr. Xand and Dr. Chris explain why we all get spots.
Sleep. video
Dr. Chris looks at why we need sleep and why children need more than adults.
