Childrens Fears
Listening to Children - Chapter 3
Children’s Fears
When a child expresses a fear to an adult, it may seem trivial to the adult because the adult knows so much more about reality. However, we must remember that the child is honestly troubled and frightened. For the adult to downplay the child’s fears, does not acknowledge their right to have these feelings. When an adult truly listens to a child describe their fears, they can help the child to learn to confront and cope with them.
Learning Fear
Children can learn to fear by imitating adults around them. Parents who are overly protective are basically giving the child the message that the parent doesn’t think the child can handle the situation themselves.
Cognitive Influences – Young Children and Fear
Children perceive that they live in a world that revolves around them and may think that when something happens, such as a siren, that it will naturally affect them and be fearful of it. Young children also use “magical thinking”. They may believe that thinking something will make it happen. Young children are also beginning to differentiate between reality and fantasy. They may have difficulty distinguishing between the real world and a movie.
Developmental Stages
The main fear in infancy is fear of the loss of being nurtured and later fear of things that are strange or not normally found in their environment, such as the dark, noises and strangers.
The toddler may also experience the fear of the loss of love, or of their parent. These fears can be expressed as fear of punishment, abandonment, thunderstorms and death.
Helping Children to Cope with Fears
Parents sometimes think that they should shield their child from information that might produce anxiety. Or at the other extreme, may overwhelm the child with too much information. In both cases, when a child asks a question, the parent should be honest and give them enough information to calm their curiosity. While determining what
Children’s Fears
When a child expresses a fear to an adult, it may seem trivial to the adult because the adult knows so much more about reality. However, we must remember that the child is honestly troubled and frightened. For the adult to downplay the child’s fears, does not acknowledge their right to have these feelings. When an adult truly listens to a child describe their fears, they can help the child to learn to confront and cope with them.
Learning Fear
Children can learn to fear by imitating adults around them. Parents who are overly protective are basically giving the child the message that the parent doesn’t think the child can handle the situation themselves.
Cognitive Influences – Young Children and Fear
Children perceive that they live in a world that revolves around them and may think that when something happens, such as a siren, that it will naturally affect them and be fearful of it. Young children also use “magical thinking”. They may believe that thinking something will make it happen. Young children are also beginning to differentiate between reality and fantasy. They may have difficulty distinguishing between the real world and a movie.
Developmental Stages
The main fear in infancy is fear of the loss of being nurtured and later fear of things that are strange or not normally found in their environment, such as the dark, noises and strangers.
The toddler may also experience the fear of the loss of love, or of their parent. These fears can be expressed as fear of punishment, abandonment, thunderstorms and death.
Helping Children to Cope with Fears
Parents sometimes think that they should shield their child from information that might produce anxiety. Or at the other extreme, may overwhelm the child with too much information. In both cases, when a child asks a question, the parent should be honest and give them enough information to calm their curiosity. While determining what