How do I explain a funeral to a young child

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Supporting a child after a frightening event

Ways in which adults can support children worried about frightening events reported in the media
Donate and help us reach a total of £140,000 in aid of Child Bereavement UK

This year our incredible volunteers helped raise a staggering £132,662 through selling wristbands and raffle tickets, and collecting donation, at festivals up and down the UK. £132,662 is a fantastic achievement and we are extremely grateful to everyone who donated so generously. However, we’d love you to help us reach a grand total of £140,000, enabling Child Bereavement UK to support even more bereaved families.
ካብ ዓዘቕቲ ጓሂ ምውጻእ

Watch our short animated film which aims to help adults understand how grieving children tend to ‘puddle jump’ in and out of their grief
እታ ስውርቲ ባሊጃ

Watch our short animated film designed to help bereaved children and families to understand their grief and how to manage it

Lucy

Lucy explains why she took part in the Big Half for Child Bereavement UK in memory of her best friend Sarah.
Understanding faith and bereavement – the Islamic perspective

Study Day
Helping men cope with grief - study day

Online interactive training
"Music really provided solace for me."

Musician Daniel Molyneaux shares how music helped him cope when his mother was dying and after her death.
Christmas Celebration Concert - Online

Online event
Como hacen el duelo los niños y los jóvenes

How children and young people grieve
Cómo explicarles a los niños pequeños que alguien ha muerto

Explaining to young children that someone has died
La comprensión de la muerte en los niños a distintas edades

Children's understanding of death at different ages
New films for doctors working with bereaved families

Child Bereavement UK has been funded by BMA Giving to produce guidance films for doctors working with bereaved families.
“The key is to reach out to those within a group who’ll become champions for support”

How Marva Langevine is helping communities in Guyana to accept bereavement support.

Telling a child that someone has died

It is important to tell a child of any age when someone important in their lives has died, and ideally this is done by someone who is closest to them.
Supporting bereaved children and young people

Children and young people grieve just as much as adults but they show it in different ways. Find out how you can help them and more about child grieving.
When a grandparent dies - the impact on children and young people

The death of a grandparent is often a child or young person’s first encounter with the death of someone important. Parents have a great deal to manage when their own parent or carer dies. There is the grief associated with their own loss, but also the reactions and responses of their children to the death of a grandparent.
Grieving for a child of any age

The agony of losing a child of any age is unparalleled. There is no age or point in time that makes it any easier. No parent expects to face the death of their child and no grandparent expects to lose their grandchild.
Grief and bereavement in Gypsy and Traveller families

Death and bereavement are experiences common to most of us and few of us go through life without experiencing the death of someone close. Each situation is unique and how we respond to such a death is very individual.
Children's understanding of death at different ages

Babies and young children have no understanding of the concept of death yet, long before they are able to talk, babies are likely to react to upset and changes in their environment brought about by the absence of a significant person.
Child Bereavement UK training

Child Bereavement UK designs and delivers training for professionals in health and social care, education, and the voluntary and corporate sectors, equipping them to provide the best possible care to bereaved families.
Explaining funerals, burial and cremation to children

The following are suggestions to give you the confidence to talk about funerals in a way that feels right for you and your children.
Contact us

Contact one of the Child Bereavement UK centres or get in touch with one of our departments.
When your baby dies

When a baby lives only a short time or dies before birth due to miscarriage, stillbirth or a painful decision to end the pregnancy, people may assume that the loss is not important. This is simply not the case.

Short guidance films

Our short films are delivered by support practitioners and cover a range of topics on grief and bereavement, providing guidance on what can help. Read more

Books and resources

A list of books and resources relating to grief and bereavement and what may help. Read more

Others' experiences

Some bereaved families find it helpful to read about other peoples’ experiences and how the support they have received has helped them. Read more