How to Help Children Conquer Fears
Children experience fears for a variety of reasons. Some kids fear certain things, such as water, heights, bugs, dogs and the dark. Others have fears that stem from overactive imaginations, making them afraid of things no one else can see or understand. The only solution for parents is to help their kids learn how to conquer their fears.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Give your child a rating scale from 1 to 10 for their fears, with 10 being the most fearful thing. This helps you determine how fearful they are of a particular thing and how much work you have ahead of you to help them conquer their fears.
-
2
Let them write down their fears and anything associated with the fears in a journal. They can write what they fear, why they fear it, how they feel they can overcome the fear or what sort of help they need to conquer their fear. Discuss the journal with your child as you work on conquering their fears.
-
-
3
Break the fear down into manageable steps. Sometimes kids' fear stems from something small. For example, if they're afraid of dogs, you might find out that they only fear dogs because they saw a scary show on television about a dog that attacks people. Once you know where the fear comes from, you can work on explaining ways to overcome that fear.
-
4
Tell your kids how you cope with your fears. Let them know about your childhood fears and how you conquered them. Explain how your life changed once you were no longer afraid.
-
5
Monitor shows and movies your child watches. Many childhood fears stem from an overhyped, Hollywood-type exaggeration, such as a shark breaking into a swimming pool. These images can trigger unnecessary fears in kids that change the way they live.
-
6
Pick out something with your child they can hold onto when they're afraid. When they're very young, a toy or blanket works well. Older kids find comfort in photographs of someone they admire, a book, a biblical verse or an encouraging poem.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Don't criticize your child's fears and tell him it's stupid to be afraid of something. Everyone has fears, even adults, and conquering fears through an encouraging process works best.
