How to Help Children Overcome a Fear of Scary Movies

A scary movie can linger in the mind of a child.

While you may try to limit the types of movies your child watches, you may not always be able to control the television shows they are exposed to during the day. You also may not always be able to predict what films will be too scary for the child. Even some cartoons and movies made for children can have frightening aspects that could scare them. Talking about the fears will help you resolve the scared feelings and limit the fear invoked by movies watched in the future.

Things You'll Need

• Scary movie
• Costume pieces
• Puppets

Instructions

1. Watch movies during the day, with a large group and with many lights turned on.

2. Refrain from acting scared yourself during the movie, as your child may take their cues from you and begin to feel scared.

3. Ask your child questions during the movie, such as, "How did that scene make you feel?" to help identify what scares her, so you can discuss it, confront it and resolve it.

4. Watch the movies in short segments to break up the scary sequences.

5. Bring home costume pieces that reflect the scary characters in the movie. For example, bring home a mask from the movie "Scream," so the child can touch it and try it on. This helps reinforce that the movie is not real.

6. Watch the behind-the-scenes footage of the movie. This helps highlight the idea that the work is a performance and not reality. Discuss with the child how movies are made, what actors do and how special effects are created.

7. Use puppets to act out scenes from a scary movie. Use different voices to help the child understand what acting is and how a person can portray a scary character, so he can understand that the person acting isn't scary.

References

• AskDrSears.com: 7 Ways to Help Your Child Handle Fear
• FamilyCorner.com: Helping Kids With Fears
• CPS: Caring for Kids: Taming the Monsters