A much-loved and highly respected public figure, Queen Elizabeth dedicated her life to public service and helping others, earning the affection of generations here in the United Kingdom, across the Commonwealth and around the world. With these events likely impacting much of the British nation as the country goes into mourning, Winston’s Wish shares advice on how you can explain this to your children.

Children are inquisitive individuals and love to ask questions and really understand what is going on and for some children this may be the first time they hear the words ‘death’ or ‘died’. They may hear things on the radio and television, in schools or across their social media channels which could prompt a lot of questions and curiosity from children, wanting to know what it all means. Unfortunately, for some children they will have already experienced a bereavement and this significant event could bring up their own difficult feelings.

Winston’s Wish share some useful tips on how to explain Queen Elizabeth’s death to a child or young person.

Use clear, age-appropriate language

Although it’s tempting to use terms like ‘gone to sleep’, ‘passed away’ or ‘lost’, this can be confusing to children who often take things literally. If she’s gone to sleep, why can’t we wake her up? If she’s lost, why can’t we find her? Although they feel harsh and blunt, and as adults we can shy away from them, using words like ‘dead’, ‘died’ and ‘death’ helps to create a clear definition for children.

Explain what death is using concepts they understand

This could be a child’s first experience of death and, if they are younger, they might not fully understand the concept of death. This can be confusing and frightening for them. This is a clear way to explain death:

When someone dies, their body has stopped working and they can’t be brought back to life. They are no longer able to do the things they could when they were alive, such as move or talk. When someone dies, their heart stops beating, they stop breathing, their brain stops thinking. Sometimes it helps to start by talking about the concept of being alive.

You can also use examples in nature to explain death to a child, such as the difference between an insect which is alive and one which is dead.

Reassure your child

Hearing about The Queen’s death might make children worried about people around them dying. If you can, offer them reassurance but without making impossible promises. Saying things like 'we are healthy and we’re going to do all we can to keep that way because I want to do X in the future' Or if someone is seriously ill, you can still offer reassurance but being honest is important. An explanation such as 'you know Dad is very ill at the moment and has an illness called X. The doctors are giving Dad special medicine and working very hard to make him better.'

Be honest

It’s better to be open, honest and direct when someone has died. Without clear information children tend to fill the gaps to try and make sense of what is happening. There will also be lots of information available to them elsewhere which they may start searching for – on TV, online, overhearing conversations and playground talk. This can mean that children imagine all sorts of things about a death, which are often worse than the reality.

Encourage questions and honest answers

A child may have a lot of questions about The Queen’s death, or it may prompt questions about death in general. It could be all at once or they may come back to you several hours or days later. Try to answer them honestly and if you don’t know the answer, let them know you will try to find out for them. By reassuring them that questions are ok, and you’ll do your best to answer it, they are learning to trust the responses you give.

Let them know their feelings are normal

Let the child know that their feelings – anger, sadness, guilt, worry, confusion and more – are all normal reactions to hearing that someone has died. They may not feel upset as they didn’t really have a connection to The Queen, and that’s ok. However, if they do feel upset, it’s important not to also honour their reaction and sadness, and allow them to explore their feelings.

Don’t be fearful of showing your own emotions

Children will look to adults around them to make sense of grief and try to understand how should react. It’s ok to explore feelings with children and give them permission to explore their feelings with you. For example, if they see you upset you could say ‘I’m sad because I am sad that The Queen has died’ or ‘I’m crying because The Queen’s death has made me think about when your Granny died’.

At First Steps we are talking to the children as conversations arise, naturally and age appropriately. We are basing some of our activities around the Queen, so that the children can have conversations with their peers and practitioners about events that are happening and things they are seeing on the television and all around them.

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