At what age does a child begin to comprehend that death is reversible?

The idea that a child begins to comprehend death as reversible typically aligns with the developmental stages associated with ages three to five. During this stage, children are often in the preoperational phase of cognitive development, characterized by magical thinking and an inability to understand abstract concepts such as death.

Children within the ages of three to five may struggle to grasp the finality of death and instead may view it through the lens of play or imagination, leading them to think of it as something that can be reversed or undone. For instance, they might believe that a deceased pet could come back to life or might not fully grasp the concept that death leads to a permanent absence.

As children grow older, particularly between the ages of five to nine, their understanding evolves. They start to develop a more concrete grasp of death, recognizing it as irreversible and learning to understand the emotional weight that comes with that realization. By age nine and up, children have usually developed a more mature comprehension of mortality, aligning with more adult-like understandings of life and death.

Therefore, while the answer indicates the belief that death is understood as reversible at very young ages, the developmental milestones suggest a clearer understanding begins later than the age range given.