How Do Children Think About Death? A Narrative Review of Historical and Recent Developmental Perspectives Examining Children’s Understanding of Death

BackgroundResearch has emphasized the importance of helping children develop understandings of death that are conceptually healthy accurate and emotionally supportive. Yet, open conversations about death remain stigmatized, particularly with children. Nonetheless, children express curiosity and a desire to discuss and understand death. Adults, however, report having feelings of discomfort and being too unqualified to facilitate these dialogues. Because adults may believe these discussions are unnecessary, there is a need to clarify the depth of children's knowledge of death.Study AimsThis review sought to clarify what children understand about death and how they come to learn about it.ResultsFindings suggest that children develop an understanding of death through several key components across childhood. There are three core dimensions widely agreed upon in the literature: (1) biological cessation, (2) irreversibility, and (3) universality. There are also additional components that remain more actively explored and less consistently established. These include (4) applicability, (5) personal mortality, (6) causality, and (7) noncorporeal continuation. This knowledge may be acquired naturally through cognitive development and can also be shaped by direct exposure (e.g., the death of a loved one or pet) and/or indirect experiences (e.g., media depictions). When learned indirectly and without guidance, there is an increased risk of children formulating inaccurate or distressing attitudes toward death.ImplicationsBuilding on these insights, we offer developmentally adapted approaches for supporting children's understanding of death within pedagogical settings.