How to Talk with Grandchildren About Death and Dying
This guide helps grandparents normalize conversations about death with grandchildren ages 5-10.
About this Guide
This guide helps grandparents normalize conversations about death with grandchildren ages five to ten. It offers tips to respond to grandchildren’s questions about death in an age-appropriate way — with permission and guidance from the grandchildren’s parents or other caregivers.
This is not a guide to mourning or the process of grieving. At the end, we provide resources for further information and services about the dying or death of a close family member. Other family members, educators, and anyone engaged with young children can also adapt the ideas for their own use.
We address the following topics:
1. Talking to Grandchildren About Death Without Fear
2. General Guidance when Talking with Children About Death
3. Ages and Stages
4. Visiting the Cemetery, Going to Funerals and Shiva
5. Ways to Remember
6. Resources
This resource was created as part of the Shomer Collective Educator Fellowship, which was generously funded by the Covenant Foundation. For more Jewish wisdom and resources on death and dying, please visit shomercollective.org.
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