Resources

Supporting Children in Grief for Clinicians: Early Childhood

How to support children 0 to 5 years of age who are grieving.

We hear a lot from folks about how they don’t know what to say or do for kids and teens when someone has died. Many folks are also unsure if a child is grieving “right.” Check out the tips below that can help you gain a better understanding of what grief looks like for children 0 to 5 years of age, what you can say to them to help, and how their grief looks different than an adult’s.

Common Grief Reactions

Child will respond to family’s reactions
Understand that changes will happen as the child gains more language (going from pre-verbal to verbal)
Pre-verbal reactions may be expressed in the body
Repetitive questions and behaviors are common

Appropriate ways to speak with a grieving child

Label emotions as the child gains more language (i.e. I feel sad, I’m glad)
Think of the little one’s behavior as communication
Be honest, and use child-friendly language
Younger children may believe that loss is somehow their fault; let them know it is not
It’s okay if you don’t always have the answer

Activities

Parent/child dyad activities
Reading age-appropriate books about loss
Feelings identification, such as matching feelings words with an action
Model healthy expression of emotions

Things to Remember

Children’s grief is informed by one’s culture, religion, and race
Maintain a level of curiosity with the child’s experience in grief
There are no “5 Stages”; grief is a non-linear process
Grief and grieving changes over time

Share Our Guide

Get the guide on understanding of what grief looks like, what you can say to a child to help, and how a child’s grief looks different than an adult’s.

Download the Guide (PDF)

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