How to navigate a New Year after bereavement: Tips from Winston’s Wish

January 2025

Our friends at the childhood bereavement charity Winston’s Wish share ways in which widowed parents can support children and young people to navigate their grief into the New Year and beyond.

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A New Year often signals a ‘new you’ or a change in your lifestyle. It can feel monumental but that doesn’t have to be the case. 

When a child or young person is grieving, it can be difficult to process the New Year, what that means and how they feel about their grief. 

Our friends at the childhood bereavement charity Winston’s Wish share ways in which you can help children and young people navigate their grief into the New Year and beyond.

Encourage conversations

It’s important that you continue to talk and check in on those you are supporting. Whether that’s you just listening, offering advice or encouraging them to speak to people they trust. 

Allowing a child or young person to talk can help them understand how they feel and give them the reassurance that whatever they feel is okay.

Spend time together

Put regular dates in the diary each month to spend time just as a family unit. Whether that’s watching a film, playing a game, having a meal or going for a walk. 

It’s a great way to build a routine and have fun, but to also give children time to talk about their feelings or even remember their important person.

Make plans for the coming year

Encourage the children and young people in your life to plan things into their calendar. It could be an outing with friends, meeting up with family members or even going to the cinema when a new film comes out. 

Having these dates marked in the diary, however small they may be, is something they can look forward to.

On the flip side, it is also equally important to reassure those you are supporting that, when the day comes, if they’re not up to going, it is okay to change plans.

Be kind

Some children and young people may find it difficult to process and share their emotions. The death of an important person is hard, and they may need you to encourage them to be kind to themselves. 

Check in with how they are doing, let them know it’s okay to get help. Whether that’s talking to you, a teacher or a professional. 

Make days more manageable 

If the year ahead feels particularly tough for the children and young people you are supporting through a bereavement, remind them that they don’t just need to ‘get on with it’.

Taking each day at a time or focusing moment to moment might be more manageable for them. 

People grieve differently. Sometimes all a person can manage is to put one foot in front of the other and keep going. And that’s okay.

Hold on to what you have

Remind the children and young people in your life that you are still a family and, despite their important person no longer being here, you can make new memories and have good times together. 

Share your feelings, share your grief and help them open up about their emotions. Knowing they have a support system and that you’re in it together can help them navigate their grief and look forward to the future. 

Where to get bereavement support for children

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, please call Winston’s Wish at 08088 020 021 (8am-8pm, weekdays) or email ask@winstonswish.org. They will be able to offer guidance, information and support.