Understanding · 5 min

What does dead mean?

Sort what living things can do, and learn what changes when something dies.

Alive

Died

This is Sprout. Sprout is alive. Sprout drinks water, grows taller, and turns its leaves to the sun.

This is a leaf that fell off a tree. It has died. It can't drink, it can't grow, and it can't move by itself. It can't come back to life.

Why this helps

Young children don't yet understand that death is permanent and that the body stops working completely. Simple, concrete examples help them get there.

For ages 3 to 5, ages 6 to 8.

Inspired by Child Bereavement UK's activity for explaining what dead means.