Between what ages do children start to realize that death is a final event, primarily occurring to older people?

Children typically start to grasp the concept of death as a final event around the ages of 3 to 5. At this developmental stage, they begin to understand that death is a permanent state and that it primarily affects older individuals. This understanding is influenced by their cognitive development, emotional experiences, and social interactions.

During this age range, children are developing their ability to think symbolically and understand that the world operates according to certain rules, including the inevitability of death. They might recognize that living things can die, often through observing the death of pets, plants, or even through storytelling, but their comprehension is still quite limited. They may also notice patterns in health and age, leading them to associate death more with elderly individuals rather than their peers or themselves.

As they move beyond this age range, particularly into the 5 to 9 age bracket, their understanding becomes more sophisticated, encompassing ideas of causality and the biological processes involved in death. However, the initial recognition that death is final and most commonly associated with older people typically emerges around ages 3 to 5.