Telling a child or young person someone has died
Knowing how much to share can be the first hurdle when telling a child someone close to them has died. It is important to use clear and simple language, adapting your language to suit the age of the child you are talking to. For young children, using anecdotes of death in nature, such as insects, can be helpful, allowing space for them to understand the idea of ‘living’, being ‘alive’, and the permanence of death.
Young people and teenagers are aware of the long-term implications of someone dying, especially someone they held dear to them. However, it is important to consider how development changes and puberty can intensify their reactions to death.
Resources
Video: What is grief?
Website: Books for children and teenagers to support with grief
Video: Explaining to a child that someone has died
Video: When a parent dies
Website: Supporting a child through the death of a grandparent
Video: Supporting a child to view the body of someone who has died
Website: Supporting a teenager with the death of a loved one
Podcast: Bereavement services at Dorothy House
Podcast: When someone dies
Podcast: Supporting a child through loss
Seb's 10 top tips for supporting a child or young person who is grieving
Seb, our Young Person’s Ambassador, tragically lost his mother at a young age. Seb’s mother was cared for by Dorothy House and he shares his personal story of loss over on our podcast about the overwhelming emotions that followed after her death, and the struggle to process his grief. Below, we have listed the podcast episode and a selection of bitesize videos of Seb talking through his experience of grief and bereavement, and how to support a child or young person who has lost someone important to them.