Children's Fears and Phobias

Children suffer fears and phobias that may seem trivial to an adult, but can cause extreme tension and disruption to children.
These phobias can come and go and differ greatly depending on how the child is feeling and the experiences that they have.
Anxietycare.

org.
uk reassures us that most children who have phobias at an early age may not continue to have such an issue in later life.
However, we need to help our child through such stages and give them the confidence to face their fears and continue life as normal. Most phobias are pretty mild but there are cases that can be considered acute.
We can normally differentiate between the two, by using "fight or flight" motto. If a child "acts" scared but is still able to be present in the same place as their feared thing, then they may just be scared of the notion of being presented with something new. For someone who is considered acutely phobic - the thought of being scared is just as scary as the feared thing and it is the two things together that provide such extreme anxiety. According to anxietycare.
org.uk children fear the following: Age 2-4: Fear of animals, loud noises, being left alone, inconsistent discipline, toilet training, bath, bedtime, monsters and ghosts, bed wetting, disabled people, death and injury.
Age 4-6: Fear of darkness and imaginary creatures, animals, bedtime, monsters, ghosts, strangers. Children at this age may also fear loss of a parent, death, injury and divorce. As children grow up - irrational fears tend to fade and our children fear things with consequences, such as family divorce, fear of school, sex, deaths, blood.

Phobias are treated in many ways. If the phobia is not considered as anything too serious, then you could just see how it plays out and what happens.

Another option is to help children become less sensitive to it by exposing them to the situation slowly and gently.
This could be completed in a game situation with rewards.

Other options include a parent showing the child that there is nothing to be feared of by being brave themselves! (Think carefully about this one). In the case of extreme phobias - relaxation is often used so that the child can face up to their fears in "surreal conditions".
Try asking your child to tell you a story that includes a number of themes.
For example, if they fear spiders. Ask them to create a story including two animals they like and then one that they fear (in this case spider).

Explain that the animals all need to have funny names and voices - this way the child will start to associate the creature with humour rather than fear.

If the child fears school - you need to establish which elements of school that they are concerned about and why.
Once you have figured this out - talk to your child's teacher about these issues. Try not to hang around the school gates as these can fuel the feeling of being concerned about your child being away from their parents.

Ask your child to create a diary.
Inside they can write their anxieties and fears, but they also have to write three positive things that happened to them on that day.
You may notice that your child's fears differ and change - we all have worries and they cannot be erased - but we can learn to help ourselves focus on the positive things that occur and the diary could be a constant reminder of the good things. By asking your child to complete these kinds of activities - they will gain a better understanding of the notion that it is OK to have a mixture of emotions and help them beat their anxieties productively.

It will also give them coping methods for later life.
Try the Relax Kids Anxiety and Worry CD from the Relax Your Child range or the How Do You Feel Today CD.

Both are full of exercises and articles that are great for helping your child manage their worries.