1. Helping Your Elementary-Age Child Cope with Loss

    Children ages six to ten will exhibit greater curiosity about death than during previous developmental stages. Some of their questions and words may seem frightening to you as a parent, because they lack the tact of an adult who understands the emotional intricacies associated with loss of a loved one. Developmental Understanding By this age, children typically understand that death is permanent, …Read More

  2. Helping Your Preschooler Cope with Loss

    Preschoolers’ understanding of death is in a tricky developmental stage. With infants and toddlers, physical affection and consistency are key; while this is also true with preschoolers, the verbal aspect of communication is now in play, as well. Developmental Understanding Children of this age equate death with sleeping or going on a trip. Death is not viewed as permanent, because they do not y…Read More

  3. Helping Your Infant or Toddler Cope with Loss

    No matter how young someone is, they will grieve the loss of someone close. Even your infant or toddler will experience a sense of loss when a person who has been around them frequently is suddenly gone. It can feel challenging to try to comfort a baby who is grieving when they cannot understand the concept of death. As adults, we often depend upon language to explain, clarify and heal during time…Read More