Twenty-five gentle grief journal prompts for the loss of a child. Take one, write for two minutes, and stop whenever you need to. A single honest sentence is a complete entry.
There is nothing that makes the loss of a child bearable, and nothing on this page pretends otherwise. These prompts are not a process to work through and not a way to move on. They are simply somewhere to put your son or your daughter into words — their name, their voice, the small things nobody else remembers. Skip anything that does not fit. Come back in a year if that is when you are ready.
Take the prompts with you
Twenty-five prompts on two printable pages — free, no cost and nothing to install. Add your email and the PDF opens straight away.
We will send you a quiet note from Still With Me now and then. Unsubscribe in one click, any time.
Thank you. Open the 25 prompts as a PDF — it will also stay here if you want to come back to it.
Prompts for who they were
Their name belongs on the page. Write it as often as you want to.
- The day you arrived, and what I remember first…
- What your laugh sounded like…
- An ordinary evening with you that I would give anything to have back…
- What you were like when nobody else was watching…
- Something you said that I have never forgotten…
- What you loved, in the order you loved it…
- A photograph of you I keep coming back to, and what is happening in it…
If these are the prompts you keep returning to, the child memorial journal holds eighty prompts written for this one loss, across nine chapters. There are also editions for the loss of a son and a daughter.
Prompts for the everyday things
The details that fade first are usually the ones that matter most.
- What our mornings looked like…
- The song, the show, the meal that was yours…
- Something you were afraid of, and how you got through it…
- A habit of yours I catch myself doing…
- What your hands looked like…
Prompts for what you carry
Offered only as invitations. Set them aside freely.
- What I want people to understand about this…
- The question I am most tired of being asked…
- What I need to forgive — myself, someone else, or the world…
- What the hardest hour of the day is, and why…
- Something I have never said out loud…
Grief after the loss of a child is often described by bereaved parents as something you carry rather than something that passes. Writing does not lighten it. It gives it somewhere to sit.
Prompts for keeping them present
Continuing bonds — staying in relationship with your child — is not a failure to grieve.
- What I want to tell you about today…
- How I say your name to people who never met you…
- A tradition I want to keep, so you stay part of the year…
- What I hope your brothers, sisters, or friends remember…
Prompts for the days that come back around
Birthdays, anniversaries, the holidays — the dates that arrive whether you are ready or not.
- How I want to spend your birthday this year…
- What I need from the people around me on that day…
- A small ritual I could keep, so the day has somewhere to go…
- What I would say to you if you could hear one thing…
How to use these prompts
- Pick a quiet moment. Ten unhurried minutes are enough — many people light a candle first.
- Start with one line. Not the whole page, and not in order.
- Let it be imperfect. There is no wrong way, and no need to reread.
- Come back when you are ready. A week, a month, a year later — the page keeps.
If you want more background before you begin, read our gentle guide to grief journaling. There are also 25 grief journal prompts grouped by relationship, and matching sets for the loss of a mother and the loss of a father.
Frequently asked questions
What do you write in a grief journal after losing a child?
Their name, first. Then whatever you would have told them about your day — an ordinary memory, the sound of their voice, a question you cannot ask anyone else. There is no right subject and no required length. Many bereaved parents find it easier to begin with one small specific detail than with how they feel.
Are child loss journal prompts different from general grief prompts?
Yes. General prompts assume a life that was long enough to look back on. Prompts for the loss of a child have to hold the opposite — a future that was taken, not a past that ended. That is why the prompts on this page, and the eighty prompts in the child edition, are written specifically for this loss.
Is journaling helpful after losing a son or daughter?
For many parents, yes — not because it eases the grief, but because it gives their child a place to keep existing in words. Some people write daily; some open the book twice a year. Both are normal, and neither is a measure of love.
How soon after the loss should I start writing?
Whenever you want to, including not yet. Some parents write in the first week; others cannot look at a page for years. A journal waits. Nothing is lost by starting late.
Is the prompts PDF really free?
Yes. Twenty-five prompts on two printable pages, at no cost. The guided journals are what we sell; the prompts are not behind a payment.
Is journaling a substitute for grief support?
No. Writing can give grief somewhere to rest, but it is a personal practice, not a treatment. Child loss in particular deserves real support — a doctor, a counselor, or a bereaved parents' group. Our help page lists places to turn. In the US, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline can be called or texted at any hour.
Still With Me makes guided remembrance journals — eighty gentle prompts across nine chapters, in editions shaped around one specific loss, including the loss of a child.