Supporting a grieving child on Father's Day

June 2025

Our friends at Winston’s Wish offer eight tips to help widowed parents support their bereaved child through Father’s Day…

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How to support a child who is grieving this Father’s Day

For children and young people who are grieving, Father’s Day can be a difficult day, especially if they are grieving for their dad or other father figure. It doesn’t matter whether this is their first Father’s Day coping with grief or it has been many years. Our friends at the childhood bereavement charity Winston’s Wish offer some guidance on how you could navigate Father’s Day together and support a child who is grieving. 

1. Let go of expectations and remember there is no right or wrong way to grieve

Everyone is unique and everyone grieves differently. This is just the same when it comes to how you and your child cope on Father’s Day. It can be helpful to let go of all expectations and remind yourself and them that there is no right or wrong way to grieve and no right or wrong way to mark Father’s Day.

2. Talk to your child and plan ahead

No child is the same and no year will be the same so speak to your child and ask them how they are feeling about Father’s Day and what they would like to do. They may want to completely ignore the day, or they may want to mark it in some way. They might want to remember their dad or other important person or use it as a day to celebrate someone else in their life. Don’t assume you know what they want to do or that it will be the same as previous years. 

It can also be helpful to plan ahead and think about how you would all like to spend the day. Your plan can be flexible depending on how you all feel on the day but it can help to have an idea of what you might do. 

3. Speak to others in their life – their school, clubs etc

Schools, nurseries, youth clubs, Scouts, Brownies etc can often do activities related to Father’s Day so it might be a good idea to speak to them. You could remind them that your child is grieving and that they might find activities related to Father’s Day difficult. Find out if they plan to do anything and discuss how it could be sensitively handled so your child doesn’t get too upset or feels left out. Also speak to your child as well to prepare them and to see what they would like to do about these activities.

4. Use it as a day to remember their dad or important person

If you and your child feel able, you could spend some time remembering their dad or other important person on Father’s Day. You could watch their favourite film; eat their favourite dinner; visit a special place; plant a bulb or tree in their memory or do an activity that you used to do together. This could also be a good time to create a memory box for their dad or important person and fill it with photos, cards, letters and objects that remind them of their dad. 

5. Make a Father’s Day card

Just because their dad isn’t there to receive it, doesn’t mean your child can’t make or write a Father’s Day card for him if they want to. You could take it to his grave or favourite place or keep it in a memory box. Or your child could make a card for another important person in their life – maybe their grandad or stepdad or you. 

6. Talk about their dad

Father’s Day can be a good opportunity to talk about their dad with your child. Depending how old they were when their dad died, they might not have many memories of him or might worry about forgetting their memories. It could be just the two of you or you could involve other family members and friends. You could encourage your child to talk about their memories, you could share your memories or you could ask other people to share their memories so your child can learn more about their dad.  

7. Talk about your feelings

Don’t forget to also talk about your feelings together and encourage your child to let their feelings out. If they want to cry, let them have a good cry – they will probably feel better afterwards! If they don’t want to talk to you then encourage them to talk to another trusted adult in their life or they could speak to a Winston’s Wish bereavement support worker (contact details below).

8. Come off social media

If your child is old enough to be on social media, then it might be a good idea to suggest they come off it for the day. It can feel like you are being bombarded with social media posts of your friends and their dads or from companies selling Father’s Day gift and this can be overwhelming. So some young people find it helpful to avoid social media on Father’s Day. Others like to post a photo or memory of their dad on their social media.

Where to get support

Winston’s Wish is a charity that helps children, teenagers and young adults (up to the age of 25) find their feet when their worlds are turned upside down by grief.

If you are an adult supporting a bereaved child or young person who is struggling with their grief, you can call Winston’s Wish on 08088 020 021, email ask@winstonswish.org or use the live chat on their website winstonswish.org (all available 8am-8pm, weekdays). They will be able to offer guidance, information and support. 

For out of hours mental health support, text WW to 85258 to speak with someone from our trusted partner, Shout. For urgent support in a crisis, please call 999.