How To Help Children With Fear Of The Dark?

As children we are more vulnerable to being scared. Fear of the dark is a common situation in all people and is part of children’s development.

The duty of parents when faced with this situation is to help them channel these fears and overcome them. In this article we will offer recommendations for how to help children with fear of the dark.

These tips will help your child overcome fears as they grow older. If this phobia is attacked from birth, when the little ones grow up they already overcome it.

However, there are times when they don’t know how to deal with it and carry it into adolescence or adulthood. Here is a guide to help children with fear of the dark.

1. Have fun to face the fear of the dark

A very good advice that is important to apply is to carry out didactic activities, such as games, that help to overcome this fear of the dark.

• A very fun activity that children will like a lot is playing with shadows. Whoever does the best figure with his hands wins.
• It is an alternative that will help the child overcome that fear.

2. A lamp

Using a small lamp with dim light or adjusting the light in the child’s room is a technique that generates tranquility.

In this way, the panic to sleep with the light completely off is gradually overcome.

3. Don’t indulge your fear

If the child cries to be cared for, turning on the light should not be the solution. If so, how does it help to overcome it?

If he cries, find a way to calm him down, being with him and accompanying him. If you do not face this tormenting fear, you will not overcome the phobia when the room is dark. So you don’t want to sleep alone in your room.

4. Talk to them

Communication is essential. You should talk to the children, making them understand that the place where they live is safe.

This way, they will know not to be afraid of the dark. Above all, we must talk about places that commonly generate that fear : under the bed, the closet or the hallways.

If the child identifies these places, his fear will diminish.

5. Tell stories to overcome fear

Exposing your child to a fearful situation  is one way to help him overcome the fear of the dark. If you get involved in these situations, through stories in your imagination, you could overcome it more easily.

6. No teasing

Although it may seem logical, some parents unintentionally scoff at such situations. Sometimes it happens because of what the child says or because it is funny. That feeling of mockery causes the child not to come out of it so easily and, rather, prolongs it.

7. Do not alter it

Although this also sounds logical, it is better to prevent the child from going through situations that upset him, at least until the fear has overcome.

If the family is going through irregular situations such as robbery, this should not be discussed in front of the minor. This event could upset your nerves and make you go through a panic attack at night.

8. Music

When they grow up, music is an excellent option to overcome fear. If you have a small radio or digital device, this may be a good option.

Putting on music in a soft genre can be used to help your little one relax and fall asleep. The parents would then turn off the device. If this action is repeated, after a few weeks, the little ones will forget it and overcome the fear.

All these tips are key to helping children overcome their fear of the dark. The most important thing is to help them to be well, as a mother or as a family member. This fear is not a game or an invention of children.  It’s real, and sometimes even adults go through it.

For this reason, it is so important to know how to identify what happens with fear, to be able to channel your fears and help face them together.

There is no phobia that cannot be overcome by facing it. The different methods that we have shown are very useful to be able to counteract this common fear. With them, the little ones in the home will feel safe at all times.