Support Childhood Berevement Resources

Although the impact of not addressing grief in children is grim, there are clear best practices when working with this diverse population. 

Namely, open and continuous communication, the ability to express emotions, and at least one stable adult figure to share the grief with.

Open communication cannot be emphasized enough. Often, adults underestimate a child’s ability to process death and will therefore withhold conversations surrounding the loss (Hoppe, 2025). The effects of grief are worsened when adults try to shield children from the experience by avoiding conversations about the event, the person, or the loss (Pehrsson, 2005). 

Open and continuous communication about the death is associated with less depression and anxiety (Howarth, 2011). 

However, adults often find it difficult to speak to bereaved children for fear of not knowing what to say or do, and how to provide support (New York Life Foundation, 2024). The results of adults either withholding information, censoring conversations, or not speaking for fear of not knowing what to say all result in confusion for the child, delaying their grieving process. 

In addition to clear and frequent communication about the loss from adults, a child’s ability to express their emotions is also key (Hoppe, 2025). As noted above, this is difficult for children because they lack the language and experience to identify what they are feeling. 

Freud and Birmingham wrote in 1943, having someone to share trauma with and work through all of the different emotions makes the trauma less traumatic (Knight, 2023). We know relationships with others are a vital component to successfully move through the initial period following the loss, especially for children (Hoppe, 2025; Knight, 2023). A grieving child needs a stable adult figure, either at school, home, or in the community, to share the experience of grief with (Hoppe, 2025; Knight, 2023) and help make sense of the turmoil and unfamiliar territory inside. 

However, when a child loses a parent, a sibling, or another close individual, it is often the case that the remaining caregiver is also grieving the loss. Thus, when a grieving child needs more support at home, they are often not provided with this extra attention (Bergman et al., 2017). In addition to grieving the loss, the remaining caregiver may also be struggling with being a single parent and the sole financial and emotional support for the family (Bergman et al., 2017; Kwok et al., 2005). This further complicates a child’s likelihood of receiving grief counseling or bereavement support in the evenings after school or on the weekends and underscores the importance of a child receiving support at school. However, even though educators overwhelmingly recognize childhood grief as a serious concern warranting more attention, a small percentage have received specific training on childhood bereavement (Coalition to Support Grieving Students, 2022.