Supporting bereaved children and young people
Grief looks different in every child. Understanding how loss shows up — and how to respond without making it harder — is one of the most important things we can do for the children we care for.
Evidence-based
Clinically informed
1 in 29
school-age children are bereaved of a parent or sibling
1 in 29
of bereaved children are not accessing any support
Written by Zara, Psychotherapist
Overview
Children grieve differently to adults — and differently to each other. Their grief is often described as "puddle jumping": dipping in and out of pain, seeming fine one moment and devastated the next. This is not avoidance; it is developmentally appropriate. Understanding this is the foundation of good support.
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Bereavement can include the death of a parent, sibling, grandparent, friend, or even a pet — and children may also experience grief-like responses to other significant losses such as divorce, moving home, or a parent's serious illness.
Using Our Resources
The Growing Around Grief Poster is a useful visual based on Tonkin's theory of grief. A common misconception is that our grief will shrink over time. This visual can be used to explain to children and teens that over time, their world will expand around their grief, making it feel less overwhelming, their grief stays the same, a reflection of how much the person or pet who died means to them.
The Growing Around Grief Poster is a useful visual based on Tonkin's theory of grief. A common misconception is that our grief will shrink over time. This visual can be used to explain to children and teens that over time, their world will expand around there grief, making it feel less overwhelming, their grief stays the same, a reflection of how much the person or pet who died means to them.
The Growing Around Grief Poster is a useful visual based on Tonkin's theory of grief. A common misconception is that our grief will shrink over time. This visual can be used to explain to children and teens that over time, their world will expand around there grief, making it feel less overwhelming, their grief stays the same, a reflection of how much the person or pet who died means to them.
