How do you explain death to a child?

Answer 1

It really depends on how old a child is. I am assuming we are talking about a younger child.

If it is because someone (even a pet) you know has died then it is actually easier than just having to answer one of those random questions our kids come up with!

Start off simple, if they understand what you are saying you will realise how deep an explanation you can give.

Do not say he or she has gone to sleep, this terrifies children and they are scared that they or you will die in your sleep. It also allows the child to think that this person could come back some time, which is clearly not going to happen. I wouldn't say it's cruel to a child but it is certainly not fair on him or her and can be very confusing.

Explain that death is something natural that happens to everyone and is part of the cycle of life, just like birth. Explain that most people are very, very old when they die, it's not likely to happen to your child any time soon.

If it's because of someone you know make sure you talk about the good things about that person. Say that memories carry on even after death, so that persons memory is never dead.

If you are religious use your beliefs in the explanation, about Heaven (or whatever) being a wonderful place.

Let the child know that it is ok to be upset and sad and to miss that person. It's ok to grieve and to be angry. Tell them that soon they will be able to remember that person without feeling like they need to cry all the time, and it's ok to do that too, to laugh about that person and smile.

I had to explain my daughters stillbirth to my son who was 2 1/2 at the time. You will be amazed at how much they really understand, a lot more than we give them credit for! I told him that Mummys body was unable to work well enough this time and that his sister had been born too early. To explain the funeral I said that the coffin was a special box which took her to Heaven.

We picked a star in the sky (the brightest we could find) and decided we would use that to remember her by.

The main thing to remember is don't lie about it. They will find out eventually what it is, and they are a lot more resilient about things than grown ups can be. We tend to read too much in to stuff, kids just accept things generally.

By a book about it and either read this to your child or if he or she is old enough then leave it for them to read by themselves if they prefer.

One book I have bought, which is just on the shelves, is called The Sad Book, by Michael Rosen. He wrote it to explain his feelings about the death of his teenage son. There are very few words and it's suitable for children. It is very sad though! There is no happy ending, and I would recommend reading it by yourself first. I know nobody who has been able to read it without choking on their tears...

Sorry this got so long, but I hope it helps.

CG.

Answer 2

Well death to a child is not nessearly a bad thing beacuse you never know wat the child might grow up to be. He might be bad person and to bad things so it won't let him go to heaven. But as a child is young his sins are little so his chances of going to heaven are greater beacuse a child doesn't really know the right form wrong. Also, you don't know if this child is going to have he might be very ill and fight all his life against that illnes so i think it's better then to die then to live in pain all your life. ANd im sure the child will be in a great place in heaven AND god only does the thing that are good for u and the child. So even with a the science and medical things. WHen god wants a person he will take him even if he's the richest guy with the best doctor everybody has his time and nobody will change that time. So u can't explain a death of a child beacuse he is young. it was his time and god know more then us

Answer 3

If they are under 5 i would say that they have gone for a long sleep because they havent slept in a long time and they need to catch up on lots of sleep.
every time they ask where is ___ id still say still sleeping darling
eventually they will forget until they are old enough to understand the truth
IT IS NOT CRUEL NOT TELLING A CHILD THE TRUTH ABOUT A DEATH, TELLING THEM THAT THIS PERSON HAS DIED COULD REALLY MESS UP A CHILDS EMOTIONS AND REALLY SCARE THE CHILD
if they are over 5 id probably tell them that they have gone to this great place in the sky called heaven,and that you get to float around on clouds all day and eat all the lollys and chocolate you want.and that they will always be there for you and will be watching over and protecting you

and once there about 10 and older..it doesnt realy need explaining..they already know..Id still sugar coat it

Answer 4

If the child is very young, forget trying to explain heaven and hell. It's too much to grasp, and could leave them worrying about whether grampa was in hell.

They need to understand simply that the person was ill or injured and were not able to live anymore. The big thing is making sure they understand the person is not coming back.

Answer 5

If this helps at all, there are a lot of great books written for children that deal with death and dieing. "The Tenth Good Thing About Barney" by Judith Viorst is about a boy's cat dieing. I'm sure there are many more.

Answer 6

Not enough info, how old is the child , what is the nature of the death you are trying to explain. Sorry , but the question is just way to general for me to help

Answer 7

Just sit them down. First how old is your child. Tell them a little fairy tale but dont try to tell something scary. Example: When a camper dies they go to big camp in the sky and then the scout master in the sky determines wheather they stay in the camp or go to a fire universe

Answer 8

well, first u have to tell him that the death is not very bad thing and when someone died he will meet the god if him good person that make the child want to see the god and do good things in case if he died and dont tell him that death is very good thing too

Answer 9

it seems like that would be very difficult,I think the best way is to tell the child that they went to heaven

Answer 10

it depends....how old is the child?if the child understands that people die...then dont try to hide it.be honest about it.children are stronger than you think.death is natural,children know this.