Finding hope after bereavement

November 2025

When someone we love dies, life can feel uncertain and overwhelming, especially for children and young people, who may find it hard to express what they are feeling. There is no right or wrong way to grieve, only your way. As their parent or carer, trying to manage a child’s grief as well as your own can feel really difficult. 

---

In the journey of grief, hope can feel distant at first, yet it can slowly return in moments of peace, laughter and remembering. Hope doesn’t mean forgetting and moving on. It means learning to live alongside your grief, to carry memories forward, and to find new moments of comfort, connection, and joy. To mark Children’s Grief Awareness Week, our friends at Winston’s Wish have shared some tips on finding hope after a bereavement.

Acknowledge the pain of grief 

Grief and any emotions it may bring are natural responses after a death. 

• Allow yourself to feel, however you feel – some days might feel manageable, while others may feel impossible. Both are okay. 
• Encourage open conversations – listen to each other and help young people to express their feelings in a creative way such as through play, drawing and storytelling. 
• It’s okay to show emotions and be vulnerable in front of young people – this helps to validate their feelings and teaches them that emotions are safe to share. 
• Be kind to yourself – this is your own unique grief journey. Try not to compare yourself or the children and young people you’re supporting to anyone else. 
• Listen to your body and what it needs – rest when you need to and engage in activities when you are able to. 

Continuing connections and memories 

Love doesn’t stop when someone dies. Finding ways to help your child or children stay connected to them can bring comfort and healing. Here are some ideas for things you can do with your child:

• Talk about your special person – share your memories, funny stories, things they taught you.
• Look at photos – these can help to remember what your special person looked like. If you have them, voice notes and videos can help to remember what they sounded like too.
• Continue traditions or create new ones in their memory.
• Incorporate them into daily life – you might look at photos, talk about them, or even talk to them in your head or aloud (this may feel strange at first, but for some people this can really help to express how they are feeling).
• Create a memory box – fill it with notes, belongings, and photos that help you to remember them.
• Make a memory note jar – write down memories, things about the person, how you want to remember them. Use small pieces of paper, fold them up, and keep them in a jar. This can be something that you can go to anytime you want to feel close to them. 
• Get creative – make a scrapbook, memory tree, or collage; write a poem, a song, record voice notes in your phone, or write your thoughts in a journal.
• Visit meaningful places – this could be a park, a quiet spot, or their resting place. These moments of connection can be grounding and peaceful.  

Find moments of joy

Even in grief, moments of peace and happiness are possible for you and your child. They do not diminish your love or loss. Each day can offer small opportunities. Here are some ideas for you and your child to try:

• Do the things that bring you both comfort and joy. 
• Stop, breathe and notice – find ways to feel grounded. This might be going for a walk, being in nature, listening to the sounds you can hear around you. 
• Practise mindfulness – finding small moments of peace and calm in your day and reflecting on gratitude. 
• It’s okay to feel happiness – hope and grief can coexist in whatever way that works for you.
• Stay connected – you might want to watch their favourite TV show or film, eat their favourite meal, or visit their favourite places.

Make plans for the future 

Day by day, it’s okay to begin to start looking ahead, one step at a time. Here are some things that you and your child could do to start planning for the future:

• Take things slowly – start to connect with friends, engage in hobbies, or try something new when you feel ready.  
• Make plans to look forward to – it could be as small as a relaxing bath or a walk with a friend, or as big as a holiday or planning a celebration. 
• Prepare for anniversaries and special occasions – there is no right or wrong way to spend these times, and you can’t always predict how you may feel. Here are some ideas that could support you around anniversaries and special occasions: Coping with anniversaries and special days after someone has died | Winston's Wish
• Practise self-care – whether that means staying active or curling up under a blanket watching your favourite film, listen to what you need.
• Grow around grief – you might want to explore the idea of “Growing around grief”. This video can help to explain the concept theory of growing around grief.

---

 

About Winston’s Wish

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’re 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 (all available 8am-8pm, weekdays). They will be able to offer guidance, information and support.