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How can caretakers help children overcome their fear of the dark?
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Can a fear of the dark keep a child from getting enough sleep?
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Aug 1, 2024 · Until then, caretakers can help children overcome their fear of the dark by: Listening: Listen to the child's fears. Acknowledge they are afraid, but don't reinforce the fear by telling the child it is rational.
- Understand Your Child’s Fears. While you should not force your child to talk about their fears, you can ask open ended questions like, “What are you afraid of when you go to bed?”
- Use Stories and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). CBT, coupled with comforting stories and talking in a graduated way about fear of the dark, has proven to be an effective technique in helping kids tackle fear of the dark.
- Encourage Creative Arts to Help Your Kids Express Their Feelings. Many kids can draw, build Lego® structures, tell or act out stories about their nighttime fears.
- Listen to Your Child and Validate Their Feelings. Feelings are real and should be acknowledged even if they are afraid of monsters under their bed. You can then gently let them know they really do not exist.
- Get to the root of the fear. Find out what it is about the darkness that’s scaring your child. Ask open-ended questions to allow your child to tell you what’s triggering their fear.
- Don’t reinforce the fear. Dr. O’Connor says it’s best not to participate in your child’s fear of things that go bump in the night. For example, promising to rid their room of the creatures or inspecting the closet for monsters can reinforce their fears.
- Encourage them to stay in their room. If you need to, it’s better to join your child in their room to provide comfort than to let them leave their bedroom and join you in yours or another room.
- Build your kid up. Building up your child’s self-confidence and coping skills during the day can help them overcome their fear of the dark. During daytime hours, work on activities that help build self-confidence.
For example, a child who is afraid of the dark can be taught to breathe slowly and imagine something relaxing (e.g. playing) if he wakes up in the middle of the night and is afraid. Listening to a favorite song or tape on a recorder can also help calm frightened children.
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May 7, 2020 · Most kids will actually outgrow fear of the dark by ages 4 to 5, helped along with some specific strategies. But about 20% of kids will have a persistent fear of the dark. “It’s not always so easy to unlearn those startled, anxious, fearful responses,” said Mabe.
Oct 18, 2011 · Experts share with WebMD some theories on where the fear of the dark comes from, why it feels so real when you’re only 3 years old, and what parents can do to help their kids tackle their anxiety....
What can we do to help children who are afraid of the dark? We need to teach the brain – step by step – that darkness isn’t scary. And, along the way, we need to be careful that we don’t introduce new reasons for children to panic.
