Supporting Children and Adolescents in Grief

[Reviewed and updated February 6, 2026]

As an adult or child, experiencing grief means to “feel,” not just to “understand.” Anyone old enough to love is old enough to grieve.  ~ Alan D. Wolfelt

Children and adolescents grieve just as deeply as adults, but depending on their cognitive and emotional development, they will experience and express their grief differently from the grown-ups around them.

Understanding and Managing Grief, February 6 - February 12, 2022

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Talking to children about death can be challenging. Memorials of Distintion spoke to DR Marianne Trent about how to approach the topic. How to talk to children about death: An Expert Guide « Memorials of Distinction 

Often, individuals with complicated grief reactions were wrongly viewed by health professionals and the general public as weak, too sensitive and needing to buck up and get on with things. Prolonged Grief Disorder « Psychology Today

Caregiving and Hospice, November 6 - November 12, 2011

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Excellent! What to tell kids about cancer and palliative care, http://bit.ly/shv18i via @MassGeneralNews and @CommonHealth

• How Veterans Can Get the Help They Need, http://bit.ly/udAfaS 

• Straight Talk for Caregivers of Veterans, bit.ly/v219k

• Veterans Day, 2011: Honoring All Who Served, http://bit.ly/vQOBOw 

• Will patients want hospice or palliative care if they don't know what it is? http://bit.ly/rsFixS via @AAHPM

• Top 3 Excuses From Siblings Who Don't Help With Caregiving, http://ow.ly/7g8ew via @connectdforlife 

• Wonderful! Magical Thinking in Caregiving, http://bit.ly/tuCrt3 via @prettyzoely

• Delightful! Best medicine in caregiving is laughter, http://j.mp/uCBnw3 by @NurseBarbDehn via @CaringForYouKel

• Canine Ministers of Healing, http://bit.ly/uKWEqx

• Benefits of using music therapy in hospice, http://ow.ly/7h51I via @SeasonsHospice

• Lovely volunteer program: No One Dies Alone, http://bit.ly/tEmfah via @SevenPonds 

• How Can I Be a Compassionate Caregiver? http://bit.ly/tYtdxt 

• How to deal with anger in a caregiving situation, http://bit.ly/o2dd4h by @agingAIB 

• 25 tips: Caring for your loved one on hospice, http://ow.ly/7h4NJ via @SeasonsHospice

• 40 years later, hospice still misunderstood, http://bit.ly/vQulXJ via @hospicedave and @hospice_news 

• Good article on caregiving during the holidays, http://dld.bz/axCBJ via @Rob_Cares

• Sneaky Ways To Make Respite Care Accepted, http://j.mp/u4odsS by @ShelleyWebbRN 

• Understanding Hospice Nursing, http://j.mp/tRBFAt via @ShelleyWebbRN

Tips for Helping Children and Adolescents in Grief

Children and adolescents grieve just as deeply as adults, but depending on their cognitive and emotional development, they will experience and express their grief differently from the grown-ups around them. Moving in and out of grief is natural for youngsters, and the symptoms of grief may come and go, varying in intensity. Their response will depend on the knowledge and skills available to them at the time of the loss. Having had less prior experience with crisis and its consequences, their repertoire of coping skills is simpler, their capacity to confront the reality of loss more limited and their ability to find meaning in life’s crises less mature. If surprised or embarrassed by the intensity of their grief, they may try to hide it or disguise it. Parents, relatives, teachers and friends are wise to watch and to tune in to their children and adolescents, to listen to them, be there for them and if unsure of what’s going on, to ask! Read on here >>>

Understanding and Managing Grief, Sept 4 - Sept 11

From Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Women's Memoirs list of online memoir-writing classes, http://bit.ly/dgPKvB via @patmcnees

• "From tragedy come inspiration & love" Wonderful 9/11 story; must read http://bit.ly/aaguu1 via @Joannefunch

• Remembering the heroes of 9/11, http://bit.ly/dxKaBx via @americanwp

• Beautiful inspiring piece by a grieving dad, 9/11-A Day of Change, http://bit.ly/aCS8Fb via @GrievingDads 

• Magical thinking is normal in grief: Patrick Swayze's Wife Still Texts Dead Actor, http://ow.ly/18WPFV via @CressFuneral @GriefHelp 

• How much truth can children handle? http://cot.ag/c2K65B via @ewagele

• Four truths I've learned about grief, http://bit.ly/cavGs3 (Great article from Tyra Damm, via @KSBuckley) 

• Grief After Suicide: A Personal and Professional Perspective, http://bit.ly/c1uF33 by @BethSPatterson

• To lose a spouse is to lose a keeper of memories | Open to Hope Foundation, http://bit.ly/9xCGFH 

• If you know a man grieving the loss of a child, please share this beautiful site, http://bit.ly/aW2JAF via @Joannefunch

• "Be Patient" - Truisms About Grief, http://wp.me/pVxlX-2J via @GrievingDads

• The Magic of the Worry Dolls: Finding ways not to sweat the small stuff, http://bit.ly/aeds6z (Helping a grieving child, by @DoyleDiana )

• Lovely post about grief, In Life’s Dark Moments, Candy Brought Solace, http://nyti.ms/dv106U via @realdelia

• Mystical Experiences in Grief, http://bit.ly/d4XEic via @Why_We_Do_That 

• About the MISS conference, by Kara Jones, http://bit.ly/bnb74n via @MISS_Foundation

• Powerful - Now We Are Alone: Living On Without Our Sons | NPR http://n.pr/cvdMfs

• A Memory Game for Grieving Children | Open to Hope Foundation http://bit.ly/aT8UBq

• What to do with your wedding ring? See Widow's Voice: Ours to Mine http://bit.ly/b78AuE via @thegrieflady

• Awesome blog from Rachel, widow who attended American Widow Project's get-away last weekend http://bit.ly/aAJlTO via @americanwp

• Explore this widowed author's great new Web site: http://bit.ly/9Hp5QX via @HylaMolander