How Grief Varies by Age:

Supporting Grieving Children:

• Infants- Increased Clinginess, Disturbances in Sleep, More Crying

• Preschoolers- Irritability, Developmental Regressions, Acting Out, Fear of Separation, Sleep Disturbances

• School-Aged- Anxiety, Denial, Guilt, Withdrawal, Anger, Poor School Performance, Difficulty Paying Attention, Fear of Death, Sleep Disturbances, Physical Symptoms

• Adolescents/Young Adults- Similar to school-aged children with the addition of Risk-Taking, Conflict, Ongoing search for Spirituality, Pressure to take more responsibilities

• Maintain routines and continue setting limits for behaviors

• Facilitate open and honest discussions about death and grief

• Normalize and Validate all emotions

• Model healthy grieving

• Talk to your child about common myths of grief

• Give your child a choice on whether they would like to participate in funeral and memorial services

• Collaborate with teachers when children return to school

• Share memories, create rituals, and find ways for the child to continue their bond with the deceased loved one

• Monitor how grief is impacting their functioning

Source: On Our Sleeves