Features of the manifestation of children's fears: causes, types and methods of psychological correction in preschool children. Children's fears: types, causes, ways to deal with children's fears

Children's fears, in general, normal phenomenon accompanying the development and social adaptation of the child. But if they do not correspond to age, are experienced too emotionally, or begin to oppress the child, then special classes are required to deal with them.

Unresolved childhood fears can pass into adulthood, disrupting harmonious relationships with loved ones.

Fear is the strongest emotion based on the instinct of self-preservation. It arises due to real or imaginary (but perceived as real) danger.

Fear is also experienced by adults. And in childhood they can leave an imprint on the formation of personality. This happens due to the fact that the experience of communication, manipulations with objects in the child is very small, and knowledge about the world around is absent or insufficient.

Where do they come from: causes and features of manifestation

At the beginning of his life, the child is afraid of everything new. He animates objects, believes in the reality of fairy-tale characters and cartoon characters. He is too small to build a chain of logical reasoning, so he believes the words of adults and transfers their reactions to a variety of situations.

Psychologists have found that very often adults are the cause of fear in a child. Sometimes parents overly emotionally warn the child about the danger that threatens him (“You will fall!”, “You will burn yourself!”), Intimidate him (“I will give you to my uncle!”, “Baba Yaga will come and take you away!”, Etc.).

Often the child is frightened not so much by the situation itself, but by the reaction to it from the side of an adult. He distinguishes disturbing notes in his voice, excitement is transmitted to him.

Other reasons that cause children's fears are:

• specific case- an animal bite, a child stuck in an elevator, became a participant in a traffic accident;
• childish fantasy- monsters that appear in the dark or in a certain place (wardrobe, attic, forest);
• family conflicts - the child is afraid of becoming the cause of quarrels of parents, feels guilty for its occurrence;
• relationships with peers- if a child becomes an object of ridicule, insults, then there is a fear of communicating with peers;
• neurosis- a disorder that requires specialist advice is often the cause of fears that are not characteristic of children of this age or are too emotional.

The following factors contribute to the increase in the number of fears:

• the presence of fears in parents;
• strictness in education, restrictions in noisy emotional games;
• lack of playmates;
• neuropsychic overload of the mother, forced or consciously assumed the role of the head of the family;
• overprotection by parents;
• upbringing in an incomplete family.

A lot of fears arise in a child precisely in the process of his upbringing, which parents must take into account.

Age phobias and types

Growing up a child is accompanied by the appearance of certain fears. Such age-related phobias are a sign normal development in addition, they are important for a small person, as they are stages of adaptation to the conditions of the surrounding world.

Psychology defines the following age periods and the types of fears that appear during this period:

• From birth to six months. The child is frightened by sharp loud sounds and sudden movements of adults. There is a fear of losing general support.
• 7 months - year. During this period, the child is afraid of loud sounds (the noise of a vacuum cleaner, loud music), strangers, any unexpected situation, including a change in the environment. This age is inherent in the fear of heights, the child is afraid of the drain hole of the bathroom or pool.
• 1-2 years. Phobias of the previous age period may persist, the fear of injury is added, which is associated with the active development of motor skills. The fear of separation from parents is very strong. The child may be afraid of dreams, this is accompanied by a fear of falling asleep.
• 2-3 years. The fear of separation from parents persists, there is a fear of rejection on their part. Changes in the usual way of life (appearance of a new family member, divorce of parents, death of a close relative) can be very frightening. Cause fear natural phenomena(thunder, hail, lightning). The fear of dreams remains, especially if you have nightmares.
• 3-5 years. At this age, children realize the finiteness of life and begin to fear death (their own, close people and death in general). In this regard, there are fears of getting seriously ill, fire, bandit attacks, bites from poisonous insects and snakes. The fear of the elements remains.
• 5-7 years. At this age, children are afraid of getting lost and even just being alone. There is a fear of sinister creatures and monsters. This period is also characterized by school fears, which is associated with admission to grade 1. Children are afraid of inconsistency in the image good student. There is a fear of physical violence.
• 7-8 years old. School fears continue to exist. Usually the child is afraid of being late for school, not completing the teacher's tasks and being punished for these misconduct - a bad mark, a diary entry. The fear of loneliness becomes deeper and is experienced as a loss of love and rejection by parents, teachers, peers. There are fears of dark places (basement, attic) and any real disasters. The fear of physical punishment remains.
• 8-9 years old. Fear of one's own failure in school or a game competition, of one's own unseemly actions noticed by other people. Children of this age are afraid to quarrel with their parents or lose them. Fear of physical violence.
• 9-11 years old. Failures in studies and sports continue to frighten, there is a fear of "bad" people - hooligans, thieves, drug addicts, etc. Fear of heights and circling (on attractions), serious illness. Fear of certain animals (spiders, snakes, dogs).
• 11-13 years old. The child enters adolescence, so there are deep fears of seeming stupid, ugly, unsuccessful, especially in the company of peers, but the opinion of adults also plays an important role. With the realization of physiological maturation comes the fear of sexual abuse. The fear of death remains.

All these phobias are a normal manifestation of age-related features. Overcoming such fears occurs gradually with the transition to another age category.

Consequences and diagnosis

Fear is a kind of protective function of the body. If it manifests itself according to age, then it can be easily corrected, and it goes away on its own.

Pathological fear, especially manifested in extreme forms, such as horror or emotional shock, can slow down development and lead to the formation of special personality traits: isolation, self-doubt, lack of initiative. In this case, consultation with a specialist is indispensable.

Unsurmounted fears can also affect a person’s adult life, interfere with a harmonious family life passed on to his children.

To overcome children's fears, it is necessary to diagnose them. Difficulty in diagnosing children school age is that they do not talk about their fears. Parents can notice their presence by the behavior of the child:

• nervousness;
• capriciousness;
• restless sleep;
• some habits (biting nails, twisting hair around his finger).

Diagnosis of children's fears aims to identify their cause. All methods are based on the typical features of the child's psyche. There are several of them:

• drawing- on an arbitrary or given topic (family, school, kindergarten, you can ask to draw your fear), the drawing is deciphered by a combination of aspects (theme, color, arrangement of figures, clarity of lines, etc.);
• modeling- the meaning is identical to the previous method, suitable for children who do not like / do not want to draw;
• special stories or tales- you can ask the child to come up with a fairy tale or finish an interrupted one at the climax, suitable for children over 5 years old;
• conversation with a child- questions should be carefully thought out, asked in an understandable form, one should not overly focus on something so as not to provoke the emergence of new fears, questions can be specific (“Are you afraid to be alone in a room?”).

Diagnosis is the first, but very important step in correcting children's fears.

How to deal with parents

In overcoming children's fears, a lot depends on parents. Psychologists give the following recommendations:

1. The fears of the child must be taken seriously, no matter how ridiculous they may seem.
2. You should not scold and punish the child for cowardice. By doing this, you will only provoke new problems (dissatisfaction with yourself, fear of not meeting the expectations of your parents).
3. Talk to your child about his fears (among other things, you will learn from such conversations what he is afraid of). The conversation should take place in a calm, friendly tone, without focusing on some kind of phobia.
4. Try to gently convince the child, but not by downplaying the fear, but by changing the attitude towards him. Use your own example, perhaps in the form of a story about how you too were afraid of this as a child and how you managed to overcome your fear.
5. Reassure your child that he is safe around you.
6. Distract him with some interesting activity, a game.
7. Don't get your child "addicted" to fear (for example, if he's afraid of the dark, don't leave him in a dark room). The consequences of such actions can be sad for the development and health of the child.

the main task parents to help the child overcome fear. The child can only get rid of it on his own, but he cannot do without your support.

Ways to correct children's fears

After the diagnostic stage, the work of a psychologist begins to correct children's fears. There are several techniques that help a child overcome anxiety, more fully reveal their personal qualities, become more liberated.

Techniques can be used in combination or separately, among them there are no more or less effective ones. But all of them must correspond to the characteristics of the child and not go against his desires (if the child does not like and does not want to draw, then such forms of classes should not be used).

Methods and techniques for working with children's fears are varied.

With the help of fairy tales

This technique consists in reading to the child specially invented by a psychologist or carefully selected fairy tales. They are presented in such a way that emotionally experiencing the plot, the child feels strong, brave.

Fairy tales with "terrible" episodes contribute to the formation of techniques for overcoming emotional stress. But if a child has a fear of a particular fairy-tale character (for example, Baba Yaga), then horror stories with his participation, it is better for a child not to read, especially before going to bed.

Game technique

Play is an important activity for a child. Psychologists have proven it therapeutic effect. A psychologically directed game allows you to survive a traumatic circumstance in a fictional world. Under such conditions, it appears to be significantly weakened, which means that it is easier to overcome.

Such games help the child not only to gradually get rid of a specific fear, but also to overcome isolation and self-doubt.

Therapy

This technique includes various methods of improving the mental state of the child by means of various arts and information received from the senses:

• drawings- with the help of the image of the object of his fear, examining its smallest details, the child gradually comes to overcome it, the analysis of the drawings is carried out together with the child and is accompanied by a friendly conversation, good results are obtained by the transformation of the drawn object of fear (to make it funny);
• music therapy- selection of special melodies that have a calming, relaxing effect, the technique is often combined with other forms of work;
• dance therapy- combines the influence of music and body movements, distracts the child from fears, teaches him to understand his body language, forms the ability to correct emotions, express them through movements;
• aromatherapy- accompanies the use of other methods, consists in the selection of aromas soothing, improving blood circulation and cognitive processes;
• color therapy- the essence lies in the design of personal, work or play space in a certain color scheme, the application of the method achieves positive dynamics mental development, reducing anxiety.

The most effective will be a systematic approach, but the use of individual techniques will benefit the child.

Is there a prevention?

Many children's fears can be warned and prevented. A large role in prevention is given to parents and adults involved in education (grandmothers, educators, teachers).

• the child does not need a mentor and leader, but a loving and understanding person in the person of mom and dad;
• the feeling of being worthless is the strongest Negative influence for the whole life of a little person, find time for him every day, despite your fatigue and worries;
• do not limit the child in communicating with peers;
• the child needs time for noisy games;
• do not frighten the child with doctors, police, dogs, nothing and no one, the child takes everything seriously.

Many children's fears could be prevented if parents knew how to behave correctly in certain situations in relation to the child. Fears can appear very quickly, but to get rid of them you need long time and efforts of the whole family.

If you notice a manifestation of fear in a child and do not know what to do, contact a psychologist. He will give necessary recommendations, following which you will help your child overcome his phobias.

Video: Children's fears. How to teach children to deal with fears

Children's fears are normal, because this is how a child shows emotions, gets used to the world around him and socializes. Some psychologists believe that this feeling is unfamiliar to kids, but as they grow up in preschool and school age, it is observed to be afraid of different things. Anxiety has its reasons. They need to be clarified, because over time, any fear can develop into a real phobia, which will remain in adult life person. Correction of the behavior of the crumbs is carried out different ways, most of which are available to parents at home.

Many adults often wonder why kids are not afraid of anything, because they can do something that makes a man or woman's heart stop and panic arises. This happens for one simple reason - babies do not have a self-preservation instinct as well as mom, dad and older children. However, as they grow older, there is a big jump in the psycho-emotional development of the child, and it is at this stage that fears begin to form in him.

Fear is a strong emotion human body, which is formed due to the work of the instinct of self-preservation.

The reasons for the appearance of fears can be different.

Many psychologists and educators are studying the formation of anxiety, a sense of danger and fear of something in children. They draw the attention of parents that these emotions in themselves are not a pathology, so they should not be considered delusional. This is a completely normal phenomenon, which is characteristic of many babies due to their rich imagination. But adults should make sure that a small fear does not turn into a phobia. This condition is no longer the norm, it requires consultation with specialists and long-term correction.

Why the child begins to be afraid: all the reasons for the appearance of fears

Some experts deny the possibility of logical judgments on the part of young children, explaining this by the fact that babies take any information seriously. For example, parents said: "Don't touch the dog, it will bite you!". The son or daughter does not understand that the animal will not necessarily behave aggressively, it is possible, but it does not always happen. However, a stereotype has already formed in the mind of the crumbs: all dogs bite if touched, so they must be afraid, they are dangerous. And there are many such examples. The child cannot yet connect logical chains and learn that not all words of adults need to be taken literally, this is just a warning.

In many cases, children are not afraid of anything in particular, but of punishment that may follow from their parents or other adults. That is why mom and dad should calmly explain to the baby why you can’t do something, and not immediately scold the child.

There are other factors in the appearance of children's fears:

• rich fantasy. Once having heard that there is something terrible in a dark room, the baby immediately begins to be afraid. This applies to many phrases and conversations that the child perceives as truth. The same applies to what he saw: after watching a scary cartoon, the baby may get scared and think that this will happen to him in reality;
• action that happened to the child. Most often, certain events are the cause of alarms. For example, a cat scratched a baby, and after that he became afraid, because the animal could hurt again;
  

  Not all children are afraid. Some fall off the bike and immediately get back on it. The appearance of fear largely depends on the character: shy, suspicious and self-contained kids are afraid more often than others.

• tense family situation. Children are very emotional, they are able to repeat the mood of their parents and project it on themselves. Therefore, quarrels, screams, scandals between adults negatively affect the psychological state of the crumbs. He becomes withdrawn, irritable, constantly feels anxiety for any reason. If the situation does not change, such feelings can develop into fear over time;
• lack of friends. As the child grows older, they need to be socialized. This process begins with relationships with other children, first on the playground, then in kindergarten and school. But if no one wants to be friends with the baby, they laugh at his attempts to enter the team, he develops a social phobia. Because of this, the kid is afraid to go to play with the guys, and visiting educational institution turns into an endless stream of tantrums and nervous breakdowns;
• problems in the nervous system. In some cases, the child has a fear that is not justified. This is an abnormal condition, a pathology, so a consultation with a psychologist is required. Only a specialist can diagnose the disease and make the correct diagnosis. Such fear develops against the background of neuroses, and for psycho-correction, several specialists will need to work with the baby.

Fear of the dark is one of the most common fears in children.

What is the syndrome of childhood pathological fears

Doctors also distinguish a condition called childhood pathological fear syndrome. It is characterized by fear various items, actions and phenomena and arises unreasonably, without any reason whatsoever. The attack begins with crying, discontent and develops into the strongest hysteria and panic. It lasts a long time, in some cases, children may experience inexplicable anxiety for days. This syndrome is considered a pathology, and psychologists associate it with mental abnormalities in the development of the child, which originate as early as early age, but are noticeably manifested by the age of six or seven.

Video: psychologist about the occurrence of children's fears

Methods for diagnosing fears in children

Physicians consider the occurrence of fear as a kind of protective function of the body, which can make itself felt at a certain age, and then disappears over time. Sometimes a short conversation is enough to explain what should not be feared, and the children immediately forget about their problems. However, there are also pathological fears, manifested in the form of a state of horror and shock. They negatively affect the development of the child. A specialist will help you understand whether the appearance of anxiety in a baby is considered normal or not.

To understand the state of the child, you need to diagnose his fears. This will help to find out the cause of the development of fear and then help the baby overcome anxiety. It is best to contact a child psychologist who will select a method for assessing the behavior of the baby, develop a treatment program and give recommendations to parents on what to do in the future.

Experts point out that the formation of fear is a completely normal phenomenon. In this way, the child's body is adapting to the outside world, because much is still unfamiliar and incomprehensible to him.

Child psychologists use different techniques for diagnosing fear in children:

• conversation with a child. The specialist carefully thinks through the questions so as not to scare the baby even more. An important condition for a successful therapeutic impact is a trusting atmosphere in which the baby feels protected and begins to reveal all his secrets;
  

  Diagnosing children is very difficult: they are afraid to talk about their anxiety. Therefore, one careless question or the wrong intonation in the voice can ruin the relationship with the specialist, the baby will close in on itself and will no longer make contact.

• drawing. The medic may ask you to draw something on a specific or arbitrary topic. After the child finishes, the drawing is studied. The subject, and the color scheme that was chosen, and the location, size of the figures on a sheet of paper are taken into account;
• fairy tales, questionnaires or tests. This method is more suitable for children of senior preschool and primary school age. An adult may be asked to come up with an ending to the story, to answer some questions;
• modeling. This method is the least used of all the others and is suitable for children who refuse to talk to a psychologist and do not like to draw pictures.

Most childhood fears are easily corrected.

Test for identifying feelings of fear in boys and girls

Many psychologists have developed various tests that can be used to determine the presence of fear and the degree of its manifestation. The technique of Alexander Zakharov and Marina Panfilova "Fears in houses" for children over the age of three is very popular.

1. An adult draws two houses on a blank white sheet: one in red, the other in black.
2. Then he invites the child to play a game: only terrible fears live in the black house, but fearless ones live in the red one.
3. And he begins to list out loud to the baby in turn 29 types of various frightening objects and phenomena.
4. The child, in turn, answers in which of the houses he will place each name.
5. The specialist notes to himself only the fear that the baby will place in a black house.

This technique is suitable for children who do not answer psychologist's questions well and do not like to draw.

All fears in this test can be divided into certain groups:

• medicine (pain during the procedure, instruments such as syringes, doctors);
• fear of death;
• phenomena and objects (loud sounds, car, thunder, water, etc.);
• animals (wild, domestic, microbes, insects);
• darkness and nightmares;
• fictional characters (heroes of cartoons or fairy tales);
• people (other children, strangers and own parents);
• actions (punishment, physical violence);
• space (fear of enclosed spaces, heights, depths).

Depending on the result, the doctors diagnose the baby's condition and determine the course of action to teach the child how to cope with anxiety and fear.

Questionnaire for parents to determine the presence of children's fears, phobias and panic conditions

Apart from various tests, fairy tales and other methods, there are questionnaires that contain a certain number of questions. Based on the answers of the parents, the psychologist assesses the situation and gives recommendations to mom and dad on how to behave in this situation. The following questionnaire is suitable for children aged 4 to 10 years.

1. The child cannot do one thing for a long time, gets tired quickly and is often distracted.
2. Several times for a short time mood changes: crying can abruptly turn into laughter and back.
3. The kid is often upset and upset for any reason and without.
4. Any failure causes crying, hysteria, which can last for a long time.
5. A bad mood is a constant companion of a child.
6. Tasks cause anxiety and stress.
7. Anxiety is manifested by frequently repeated actions: thumb sucking, nail biting, constantly fiddling with something in his hands.
8. Cannot fall asleep on her own, wakes up several times during the night, cries in her sleep or screams.
9. Cannot react quickly in many situations.
10. She is afraid of strangers and does not like to play with other children.
11. He cannot make decisions on his own, he is not confident in his abilities.
12. He often changes his mind, it is difficult to agree with him, because in a minute, five or an hour with hysteria, the baby will prove that he wants something completely different.
13. Before a new task, acquaintance feels unwell, indigestion, pain in the head and discomfort in the abdomen.
14. Observed increased sweating especially before something new.
15. There are no favorite dishes or treats, the baby has a constantly poor appetite.

All questions can be answered in one of three ways:

• yes - 2 points;
• sometimes - 1 point;
• no - 0 points.

Table: determination of the level of anxiety based on the results of the survey

What are the types of childhood fears in preschoolers and schoolchildren

All fears of the child can be divided into several types:

• real. They arise due to the instinct of self-preservation and help the baby to avoid many dangerous situations. Of course, every person has such fears, but adults have learned to control them so as not to succumb to panic and emotional shock. The task of parents in this case is to direct the understanding of the baby to right direction, try to understand the cause of the anxiety state and help to remove it, so that later it does not develop into a pathology;
  

  This type also includes obsessive fears. They arise as a consequence of certain cases that have occurred with the child. For example, the baby almost drowned in the bath, so he became afraid of water, and bathing turns into a tantrum. If you do not help the baby in time, such a problem can turn into aquaphobia, which only a psychologist can handle.

• neurotic. The most dangerous fears that may be associated with a mental disorder. The problem is that it is very difficult to determine the cause of fear. Therefore, parents are advised to contact a specialist who, using certain techniques, will assess the condition of the crumbs and will work to correct the situation;
• overvalued. They are most common among children. Almost all the guys at one time or another are afraid of the dark, the negative heroes of fairy tales or films, animals, loneliness, etc. Than more baby remains alone with the problem, the more fear penetrates the mind and fills all the thoughts of a small person. It becomes an obsession that affects emotional condition crumbs in a negative way;
  

  Psychologists give this example: small children are inseparable from their mother. But as they get older, they should be willing to stay with another adult they know, like their dad or grandma, for a while. The child is behaving normally, as always. If an overvalued fear dominates in the mind of the crumbs, he begins to become hysterical, because his mother is not around. These are not just whims, in the thoughts of the baby there is already a certain attitude: it is dangerous to be away from the dearest person, something bad can happen at any moment.

• night. They only appear in dark time days, the rest of the child behaves perfectly normally. But as the night approaches, the mood noticeably worsens, anxiety appears, the baby suddenly begins to cry, does not want to sleep alone or in complete darkness. In some cases, children can fall asleep on their own without problems, but at night they cry in their sleep, scream, call for help. In the morning, babies often do not remember what they dreamed about.

Children's fears should not be ignored, so as not to aggravate the situation

Sometimes mom and dad are to blame for the development of fears in their offspring. When they are constantly in a state of anxiety, the baby takes over this behavior. The same applies to the excessive guardianship of adults over the child. If there are too many prohibitions, the choice is limited, there is no opportunity for self-realization, then the children close in on themselves and are afraid to do something wrong. Therefore, experts strongly advise parents to monitor their behavior in relation to the crumbs.

Video: different fears of kids and ways to overcome them

The manifestation of fears at the age of one to 11 years

Features of the manifestation of fear vary depending on the age of the child. As you grow older, fears can change: some pass, while others appear. And this state of affairs is considered absolutely normal, because this is how the baby prepares for independence and life in society.

Table: age-related features of the appearance of children's fears

Pedagogical methods for correcting children's fears

Psychologists gradually approach the correction of children's fears: first, a diagnosis is made, and only then a professional develops a strategy and action plan, determines a method by which it will be possible to overcome fear in children. Modern psychology offers a wide variety of methods that are applied simultaneously, separately from each other or sequentially.

It should be noted that the method chosen by the psychologist should please the child. If the baby is naughty, starts to cry, or refuses to complete tasks, you need to find another way. Forcing or scolding a baby is strictly prohibited.

Art therapy in overcoming the problem

Art therapy is very common because children love to draw. Its essence lies in the image of the fear of the child. The psychologist offers the child to reproduce on paper what he is most afraid of, and then, together with the author, analyzes the resulting picture. For example, a monster can be locked up forever by putting it in a cage from which it will not get out. In many cases perfect solution- adding funny elements to the picture, then the baby visually understands that there is nothing to be afraid of.

Parents can be near the child, but do not help him draw the object of anxiety. Also, adults should not make a decision about what to do with the picture: if the baby wants to tear it, let him do it, but you should not insist and force the baby to get rid of the image.

Art therapy is considered the most popular method of correcting children's fears.

Play therapy to achieve psychological comfort

This is a great way to help your child write a positive scenario. IN game form Together with the psychologist, the kid talks about his fears. The specialist asks leading questions, carefully leading the conversation to positive points. For example, the monster is sitting in the closet. One can imagine that the monster himself is afraid of the dark and cries, wants to visit his mother. Now he's not so scary.

Many guys reveal real talents, getting used to the role and overcoming shyness. At the end of therapy, the psychologist may advise enrolling the child in a theater studio.

Fairy tale therapy: the role of fairy tales in individual psychocorrection

Children love fairy tales, because in them good always triumphs over evil. In order to help the baby overcome fear, you need to choose stories that will not only interest the child, but also help you feel the most courageous and strong, able to help friends and parents. You can write your own story and discuss it with your little one.

Today, adults can order a special book of fairy tales, in which the main character will be a son or daughter. On the pages of this publication, a photo of the baby is printed.

Fairy tales with a photo of a child will help the baby overcome his fears

Talking about objects of fear with school-age children

A conversation about the object of fear is suitable for children of primary school age. They already know how to clearly articulate their thoughts and understand that tantrums and panic do not give pleasure and are very exhausting, they simply cannot do anything on their own with their condition. The specialist conducts a dialogue in a cozy atmosphere, does not frighten the child, but provides freedom of choice: he does not force him to tell everything at once. Leading questions, clear explanations and arguments from a psychologist will help a boy or girl understand their fear and deal with it.

Confidential conversation with a psychologist - good way overcome fear in students

Correction of children's fears using affirmations

Affirmation is special way, with the help of which a certain image is established in the mind of the child. You can achieve this effect with the help of a phrase that the psychologist repeats many times while working with the baby. For example, if a baby often hears that a cat is good, over time he will believe in it and stop being afraid of her.

Affirmation is a must short phrase, which consists of one or two sentences without complication. The child should hear only understandable words and phrases.

Sand painting technique

Today, sandblasting is gaining immense popularity. Even children who do not like or still do not know how to draw are happy to plunge into this activity. This type of creativity not only develops fine motor skills, but also helps to relieve tension, the baby relaxes, so the specialist works out the fears of the crumbs more deeply.

While working with sand, the baby calms down and trains memory

Music and dance therapy in the work of psychologists

The essence of the technique lies in the selection of special melodies that have a calming effect, have a relaxing effect on nervous system child and set up for contact with a specialist. This type therapy is often combined with others: the baby can listen to music and draw at the same time. But not all children like to dance, so the master of his craft carefully studies whether this method is suitable for removing fear.

Meditation as a way to overcome fear

Not all child psychologists use this method. In order to engage in meditation with a child, a specialist must have certain knowledge and skills. The essence of the method is to perform a row with the baby psychological exercises which allow you to penetrate deeper into yourself, understand the cause of your fears and overcome them at the level of thinking.

Meditation is not suitable for babies, because they will not understand the principle of its operation. It is best to work with students.

If a child shows signs of psychosis, panic and neuroses, meditation may not be suitable as a way to correct fears. The fact is that to complete the exercises you need to fully concentrate, but not all children can do this.

Psychotherapy for dealing with children's fears: expert advice

Classes with a psychotherapist include joint work not only with the child, but also trainings with parents. Depending on the degree of manifestation of fear (initial stage or phobia), the doctor chooses a method of correction and gets to work. Psychotherapy is a system of influencing the baby's psyche in order to save him from feeling fear, anxiety and neurosis.

Psychotherapists note that parents need to change their behavior and listen to a number of tips:

• mom and dad should show their love for the baby, surround him with care and show understanding;
• do not dismiss the child: daily parental attention and spending time together is the key to the harmonious psychological development of the crumbs;
• it is impossible to forbid children to communicate with their peers, they need to adapt socially;
• the baby needs games that should be present in the life of the baby every day;
• you should never frighten children: every phrase of adults is perceived by the child literally.

Video: how to get rid of fear

The benefits of children's fears

The psycho-emotional development of the child provides for the formation of various fears as a manifestation of the instinct of self-preservation. If the baby does not understand what is possible and what is not, he will become helpless in front of the actions of other people or various phenomena. Therefore, the appearance of fear is normal state, but if the baby is not afraid of anything, then you should think about it.

As soon as the body recognizes a critical situation, a dose of adrenaline enters the bloodstream. As a result, the brain begins to think faster and brighter, which contributes to decision making. If the child did not experience fear, this state would not have been achieved.

Social adaptation of children is also impossible without fear and manifestation of fear. The child's emotions are directly dependent on the perception of peers: the baby wants to meet other children and make new friends. Many boys and girls are afraid of losing a friend or girlfriend, so they try to analyze situations, make decisions on their own and prepare to live in a world where their mother will not be around all the time.

Literary works, articles and books

To better understand the nature of children's fears, parents can study the literature of psychologists and doctors, which details the causes and ways to solve various situations.

1. Sigmund Freud, The Psychoanalysis of Children's Fears. In his book, the author describes the collaboration of the boy's father with a specialist to achieve the best results, starting with determining the cause of the fear and considering the schemes of action in a particular case.
2. G. Eberlein, "Fears of healthy children." A doctor of medicine from Austria in his work describes various forms and types of fears that, without correction, lead to neuroses, as well as sleep and speech disorders. The author tells parents what methods can be used to combat fear, as well as to prevent its occurrence.
The book of the Russian psychologist Alexander Zakharov tells about the fears that a child may have at night. Sigmund Freud analyzes children's fears, gives their description and offers ways to get rid of
Article by Julia Kochetova, published in the electronic journal " psychological science and education", reveals the issues of correcting children's fears In her book, Olga Nikolskaya tells how to cure fears in autistic people


The emergence of fears in childhood - common occurrence. But adults should not miss the moment when a small fear begins to gradually develop into pathological condition. IN preschool institutions Psychologists work with children in schools and schools; they carry out diagnostics several times a year. If there are deviations in the development of the baby, the specialist will definitely inform the parents and give some advice. Moms and dads are required to listen to these recommendations so as not to aggravate the situation and help the baby overcome their problems.

If you have any difficulties or problems - you can contact a certified specialist who will definitely help!

The methodological manual has been prepared for parents of preschool children, as well as parents of children of primary school age. It addresses issues related to the causes of children's fears and ways to overcome them.

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MINISTRY OF EDUCATION OF SARATOV REGION

TOOLKIT

"CHILD FEARS AND WAYS TO OVERCOME THEM"

teacher-psychologist MOU "Gymnasium No. 58"

Saratov, st. Ponomareva, d. 11/11, kV. 36,

tel. 893724441310

e-mail: [email protected]

The methodological manual has been prepared for parents of preschool children, as well as parents of children of primary school age. It addresses issues related to the causes of children's fears and ways to overcome them.

Reviewer: candidatePedagogical Sciences O.S. Ezhevatova

The methodological manual was prepared by the teacher-psychologist of the MOU "Gymnasium No. 58" E.V. Sokovnina.

Introduction………………………………………………… page 4

Children's fears and the reasons for their appearance…………………p. 5

Manifestation of fears. Their varieties………………….. page 7

Dependence of the nature of children's fears on the age of the child…………………………………………………………. page 9

How can you help your child overcome fears? Tips for Parents…………………………………………………….. page 11

Conclusion………………………………………………… page 15

References………………………………………... p. 16

Introduction

Do you know that a monster lives under the bed, a skeleton is hiding in the closet, and the evil Baba Yaga strives to kidnap a gaping child? No? Then ask the children - they will not tell you that.

Fear is a normal phenomenon for the child's psyche, back side self-preservation instinct. Many of them pass with time and cause only a smile in adulthood.

There is even a concept age fears- typical for a certain stage of development and reflecting the knowledge of children about the world around them. By their presence, one can judge the correspondence of mental and mental development a child of his age.

But there are also those that interfere with the normal activity of the child, his adaptation in the team and leave an imprint on the whole later life. How to deal with them, we will tell in this methodological manual.

Children's fears and their causes

Each of us directly or indirectly met with manifestations of childhood fears, whether it be the fear of the dark or the fear of people in white coats, the fear of loneliness or something unknown, and therefore certainly terrible. As a rule, the reaction of adults to children's fears is very different. Some parents start to panic and immediately begin to give the child sedatives. Others simply do not pay any attention to the child's experiences, believing that with time it will pass by itself, while others begin to scold and even punish the child, believing that the child invented all the fears in order to receive certain relaxations in discipline and additional privileges. With admission to school, the number of children's fears may increase, since during the period of adaptation to new conditions, the general level of anxiety of the child increases. At this point, it is very important to pay attention to this in time and take a number of measures to prevent the occurrence of children's fears.

Childhood fears - a very common problem in raising a child. The manifestations of children's fears are very diverse. Some children have nightmares when the child wakes up crying and calls for his mother, demands that adults sleep with him. Others refuse to be alone in a room, they are afraid of the dark, they are afraid to go out onto the stairs without their parents. Sometimes there are fears for parents, children are worried that something will happen to their mom or dad. Someone refuses to ride downhill, overcome obstacles, swim in the pool, someone runs away from an approaching dog, does not stay alone, does not go to the doctor ...

The causes of children's fears are also varied. Their appearance directly depends on the child's life experience, the degree of development of independence, imagination, emotional sensitivity, a tendency to worry, anxiety, timidity, insecurity. Most often, fears are generated by pain, the instinct of self-preservation. Most of them are due to age-related features of development and are temporary. Children's fears, if you treat them correctly, understand the reasons for their appearance, most often disappear without a trace.

However, along with such fears, there are others - persistent neurotic fears. These are fears that neither a child nor an adult can cope with. They serve as a signal of trouble, they speak of the nervous and physical weakness of the child, the wrong behavior of the parents, their ignorance of psychological and age characteristics, the presence of fears themselves, conflict relations in the family. They are painfully pointed or persist for a long time, distorting the personality of the child, negatively affecting the development of his emotional-volitional sphere and thinking. This is the case when a child needs professional help psychologist.

There are several reasons why fear arises.

The first and most obvious reason isspecific casewho scared the child (bitten by a dog, stuck in an elevator). Such fears are the easiest to correct. But not all children bitten by a dog develop a persistent fear that is noticeable to others. This largely depends on the characteristics of the child's character (anxiety, suspiciousness, pessimism, self-doubt, dependence on other people, etc.). And these character traits can arise if the parents themselves intimidate the baby: “If you don’t sleep, Baba Yaga will take it!”.

The most common areinspired fears. Their source is adults (parents, grandmothers, educators), who involuntarily, sometimes too emotionally, warn the child about the danger, often without even paying attention to what scared him more: the situation itself or the reaction of an adult to it. As a result, the child perceives only the second part of the phrases: "Don't go - you'll fall", "Don't take it - you'll get burned." It is not yet clear to the child what this threatens him with, but he already feels anxiety, and it is natural that he has a reaction of fear, which can be fixed and spread to the initial situations. Such fears can be fixed for life.

Another one of the most common causes fear -childish fantasy. The child often invents an object of fear for himself. Many of us in childhood were afraid of the dark, where monsters and ghosts came to life before our eyes, and monsters attacked us from every corner. But every child reacts differently to such fantasies. Someone will immediately forget them and calm down. And for some, this can lead to irreparable consequences.

Feelings of fear may develop due tofamily conflicts. Very often the child feels guilty for the conflicts of the parents or is afraid to be the cause of them.

Often the cause of fear isrelationships with peers. If children's team does not accept the child, he is offended, then the baby does not want to go to kindergarten, school, it is likely that he is afraid of being humiliated. It can also be caused by the spread of fears among children. For example, more strong child can intimidate the baby with different stories.

I would like to note another important reason that affects the manifestations of fears - this iswrong upbringingAnd destructive attitude to the child. As a psychologist, I see this in my practice almost every day. Lack of attention, and vice versa, overprotection can become the basis for the emergence of fears in children. From my own observations, I can say that “family idols” have a much higher degree of anxiety, and hence the number of fears, than children who lack the attention of their parents.

The last reason is the presence of a more serious disorder - neurosis to be diagnosed and treated medical workers. A manifestation of neurosis can be considered those fears that are not the norm for a given age of the child, or a very strong manifestation of fears that are included in the concept of the norm.

Pathological fear is indicated by its extreme, dramatic aspects of expression (horror, emotional shock, shocks) or a protracted obsessive, intractable course, involuntariness, that is complete absence control by

manifestations of fear. Their varieties

Sometimes the expressions of fear in children are so obvious that they are not conveyed in the comments, for example, horror, numbness, confusion, crying, etc. Other fears can be judged only by a number of indirect signs: the desire to avoid certain places, conversations and books on a certain topic, embarrassment and shyness.

The unifying beginning for fear and anxiety is a feeling of anxiety. In a state of anxiety with a predominance of anxiety, motor excitations, inconsistency in actions, often excessive curiosity and the desire to occupy oneself with any, even unnecessary, activity are noted. Characterized by intolerance to expectation, which is expressed by haste and impatience. The pace of speech is accelerated, sometimes in the form of a difficult-to-control flow of words. Older children, adolescents, are characterized by verbosity, excessive thoroughness in explanations, continuous sounds, which creates the appearance of employment, a feeling of uselessness, eliminating in some cases the fear of loneliness.

For a state of anxiety with a predominance of fear are typical: slowness, stiffness and "trampling in one place." Speech is inexpressive, thinking is viscous, the mood is sometimes gloomy and depressed.

In a state of chronic anxiety and fear, a person is in tense expectation, easily frightened, rarely smiles, always serious and preoccupied. Excessively tired, he is characterized by incoming headaches and spasms in various parts of the body. Sleep is restless, there are often sleep-talking, noisy breathing. Constantly haunted by nightmares. Communication is selective, contacts with strangers are difficult.

The most common manifestations of fears are those that are directly related to the situation in which this fear arose. For example, I was approached by the grandmother of a 3-year-old kid who was afraid of a fire in the house. Everything that was connected with fire terrified the boy. It got to the point that parents had to change the stove with gas burners to an electric stove. As soon as the child heard the sound fire engine he started crying profusely. No one could figure out where it came from?! From a conversation with the boy, it turned out that once, when they were walking with their grandmother, there was a fire somewhere nearby and grandmother's curiosity later became the cause of the manifestation of fears in the child. In my practice, there were many cases when children were afraid to raise their hands in class, knowing the material, for fear of saying something wrong. Naturally, then they were asked at the most inopportune moment, and then fear simply paralyzed the child. And so it was from time to time, as a result of this, academic performance fell. I had to work with a girl who was terribly afraid of turning away her friends and girlfriends for fear of losing their respect for herself. As a result, the condition of the girl grew into deep depression, as the children very quickly learned to take advantage of her weakness. There are many such examples, and they all have different reasons, but the result is the same - the fear that lives nearby, manifests itself in different ways and affects life in different ways. The more parents know about the causes that led to fear, its manifestations, the faster and easier it is to get rid of it.

Psychologists conditionally divided fears into 3 types, the basis of this division is the subject of fear, the features of its course, duration, strength and causes of occurrence.

So, obsessive fears- the child experiences these fears in certain, specific situations, he is afraid of the circumstances that may entail them. Such fears include, for example, fear of heights, closed and open spaces, etc.

delusional fears - the most severe form of fears, the cause of which cannot be found. For example, why a child is afraid to play with a certain toy or does not want to wear certain clothes. Their presence often indicates serious deviations in the psyche of the baby. However, do not rush to make any diagnosis. Perhaps the reason will be quite logical. For example, he is afraid to put on certain shoes, because he once slipped and fell in them, hurting himself, and now he is afraid of a repetition of the situation.

Overvalued fears- the most common type. They are associated with fixed ideas and are caused by the child's own fantasy. In 90% of cases, practicing psychologists are faced with them. At first, these fears correspond to some life situation, and then they become so significant that the child cannot think of anything else.

Children's overvalued fear includes the fear of the dark, in which the child's imagination settles terrible witches, werewolves and ghosts, fairy-tale characters, as well as the fear of getting lost, attacks, water, fire, pain and harsh sounds.

The dependence of the nature of children's fears on the age of the child

No matter how strange it may seem, but the children of the first year of life are also subject to children's fears:

Fear of a new environment. Surely, any mother noticed how the baby changes, as soon as he gets into an unfamiliar environment.

Fear of losing mom. This fear is so common that it simply does not make sense to describe it. However, unfortunately, very often such fear is taken for spoilage.

Fear of strangers.

However, in most cases, the fears of such crumbs are absolutely natural and as the child grows up, they disappear without a trace.

Between the ages of one and three years new children's fears appear, the unwitting culprits of which are the crumbs' parents:

Children's fear of the dark is the most common. Very often, parents themselves provoke such fears, scaring the child with a “babyka” and other mythical characters.

Fear of being alone even for one minute. As a rule, this fear arises precisely because the parents considered the need of the baby of the first year of life as ordinary spoiledness and the baby was deprived of constant close contact with his mother.

Night fears. In most cases, they are an extension of the fear of the dark. Remember that watching some modern cartoons can significantly aggravate the situation.

For age category three to five years, the most typical fears are:

Panic fear of being alone.

Children's fears of the dark.

Also at this age, some parents are surprised to notice that their crumbs have a fear of confined spaces, for example, the child may suddenly begin to refuse to enter the elevator or begin to demand to leave the bedroom door open. Psychocorrection of such childhood fear is obligatory, otherwise this fear may surface in adulthood, turning into claustrophobia.

Children's night terrors at this age are caused by fairy tale characters, so a child at this age identifies them with very real people.

At the age of 5 - 7 years, the syndromes of children's pathological fears become much more diverse. The horizon of the child is expanding, and with it, new fears may appear in the life of the child.

Night fears in children 7 years old new form- the child begins to be afraid to fall asleep, because in a dream he sees scary dreams. And this is a very serious burden on the nervous system of the child, so the correction of night fears for 7 years is simply mandatory.

There is a fear of punishment. As already mentioned, this is very alarm signal that the relationship between parents and children is not all right. Psychocorrection of children's fears of punishment should begin with a change in the approach of parents to the process of raising a child. It has long been recognized that the physical impact on the child does not bring anything but harm.

Under the influence of adult conversations, watching TV shows, a child may develop an overwhelming fear of animals, most often dogs. By the way, adults often reinforce this fear by overprotecting the child.

At this age, the child is faced with such a sad phenomenon of human life as death. However, the child still cannot fully comprehend this, and therefore the child develops a childish fear of his own death, the death of his parents.

In addition, children's fear of death, as a result, entails the emergence of fear of all kinds of fires, natural disasters, accidents, and so on.

Children between the ages of 7 and 11 have new fears associated with a new stage in their lives.

Fear of school.

Fear of the team caused by difficult adaptation.

Fear of getting a bad grade.

The age of children from 11 to 16 years is the most difficult period in the development of the psyche. Therefore, parents should treat the manifestations of fears in adolescents with special attention and understanding

Fear of not being yourself (physiological and physical changes: dissatisfaction with them)

Fear associated with the instinct of self-preservation (death of parents, oneself, fear of war, fear of attack, illness, fear of confined space, etc.)

Knowing all this, parents should treat their child with understanding and participation at any age.

How can you help your child overcome fears?

Tips for parents

Children's fears and ways to correct them in children of preschool and school age have long been the object of close study by psychologists around the world. At this time, several basic methods are used to identify children's fears and correct them, which are described below.

We draw fears. Drawing is a great way to get rid of a child's fear. For drawing, it is best to use paper sheets and paints. Ask your child to draw something that scares him. Draw with him, depict your version of events. After the drawing is complete, ask the child to describe the drawing. Be sure to ask your child clarifying questions. If the kid drew a wolf, ask him if it's a boy or a girl. If the picture shows a fire, ask the child to name the cause of the fire. Actively support the conversation, praise the child.

After that, tell the baby in a language he understands why his fears are in vain, if necessary, back up your words with drawings. After you make sure that the child understands you, you can arrange a "ritual burning" of negative drawings. However, do not forget about the rules of fire safety - for these purposes, the bathroom is the best fit.

Keep in mind that one such session is not enough to rid the child of fear. It is possible that you will need at least two weeks to achieve success. Such sessions should be held regularly, since it is possible to overcome children's fear only with systematic exercises.

As a rule, such drawings help to overcome the fears that arise as a result of the game of a rich children's imagination, that is, they are fictional, and not occurred in reality. A little less often, drawing helps to free the child from fears caused by some real event, for example, a dog bite or a fall from a height. However, such a tool is unacceptable to use if very little time has passed since the incident - this will significantly aggravate the situation.

In order to save the child from fears associated with problems of social adaptation, fear parental punishment, a closed space, psychologists advise using subject-role-playing games.

"Fifteen". The meaning of the game is as follows: you must designate playground where the players are. The leader must catch up with the participants. The one who is caught up becomes the leader. The atmosphere during the game should be as friendly and fun as possible. Be sure to take part in the game yourself, periodically succumbing to the child.

This game helps the child get rid of the fear of punishment. In addition, it perfectly helps to restore lost trusting relationships between parents and children.

The well-known and since childhood favorite game "hide and seek" is also excellent tool to overcome the child's fear of the dark, confined space and feelings of loneliness. For best results, let your child lead. Discuss in advance those places where you can’t hide, then turn off the overhead light, leaving only a nightlight or a working TV.

As for older children, adolescents, the main points in overcoming fears and painful emotional experiences are a confidential conversation. Tell your child about your fears and experiences at this age, discuss his problems, share your experience of how you yourself or someone from your mutual friends survived a similar situation and managed to overcome fear.

It is important to offer the child help when he asks for it and to set a goal for him when he is mentally ready to accept it and follow it.

However, remember that if the child shows signs of fear, or refuses to play at all, in no case force him, so as not to aggravate the problem even more.

In the same case, if you are unable to cope with children's fears on your own, and you do not know how to deal with their consequences, you can always seek help from a child psychologist who will tell you how to get rid of children's fears. As a rule, the problem can be eliminated in any, even the most severe and advanced case, but it is advisable not to waste time so as not to injure the child's psyche.

And now it's time to give some extremely useful advice parents. After all, it has been scientifically proven that in 95% of all cases of children's fears, parents are directly or indirectly involved in this.

Taking care of the psychological health of the child must begin even before his birth. Child psychologists note an interesting pattern - the calmer the pregnancy was, the less often children subsequently have any childhood fears. So try, no matter how trite it may sound, to be less nervous during pregnancy.

Recommendation for mom: no matter how high a position you hold at work, remember that a child is not your subordinate, he needs not a strict leader, but a gentle and loving mother. It has been noticed that in children of domineering, strict mothers, children's fears are much more common, and in a more severe form. Treatment of children's fears is very complex and often requires the use of pharmacological drugs.

In no case should a child be allowed to feel abandoned and unnecessary. Even if you spend most of your time at work, or if you have youngest child, or for some other reason, you have no strength left at all, you need to overcome yourself and pay attention to the child. In the absence of adequate treatment of children's fears caused by a sense of their own "uselessness", in adolescence this problem can lead to suicidal tendencies in the child.

However, it is also not worth instilling in a child a sense of one's own exclusivity. Selfish thinking also often leads to the emergence of a fear of losing one's exclusive position, which has the character of an obsession.

Try not to limit the child in communicating with peers - this will lead to fears of school life.

Never compare your child with other children. In no case should you cite as an example to the baby the successes that his peers have achieved. This is likely to lead to a decrease in the child's self-esteem.

In no case do not scare the child with dogs, doctors or policemen.The child takes such threats very seriously.

Speaking about how to overcome children's fears, I would like to note the pleasant fact that, fortunately, almost all children's fears are temporary and can be perfectly corrected. However, this requires parents to take seriously this issue. And a few more wishes.

You should not engage in "hardening", that is, if the child is afraid of the dark and sleep alone, do not lock him in the room, "to get used to it." You will scare the child even more, but this is the least that can happen. The consequences of such "hardening" are sad: neurosis, stuttering, developmental deviations.

Do not treat the fears of children as whims, all the more so you cannot scold and punish children for "cowardice."

Do not belittle the importance of fear for the child himself, do not ignore his complaints. It is important to let the child feel that you understand him well: it is usually impossible to explain to the baby that "monsters" do not exist.

Constantly reassure the child that he is completely safe, especially when you, the parent, are next to him. The child must trust you.

Talk to your child about their fears. The main task of parents is to understand what exactly worries him and what was the cause of fear.

Try to distract the child. For example, when he starts to panic, keep him busy playing, watching something. Talk to your child more!

Support the child, but do not go on about. For example, if a child is afraid of fire, you can not turn on the gas stove in his presence, such indulgence will calm the baby, but will not relieve him of fear.

Conclusion

From all of the above, we conclude that the changes taking place with the child require a restructuring of the relationship between the adult and the child, changes in the parents themselves. That's why, Dear Parents please help your child! Make his life bright, interesting, rich, teach him to rejoice and be surprised and rejoice with him, appreciate every moment of life.

Remember that it can take from a couple of minutes to several weeks or even months to fight fear. Whatever method you choose on your own or together with a psychologist, the success of defeating children's fear primarily depends on how sincerely and kindly you extended a helping hand to your child and your readiness to change yourself in order to help the child.

We are firmly convinced that a person who grows up in an atmosphere of love and respect, surrounded by cheerful, flexible and sensitive parents, is the least susceptible to fear, is self-confident, loved by others and is capable of much in this life.

Bibliography:

Zakharov A.I. "How to prevent deviations in the behavior of a child" - M., "Enlightenment", 1993.

Zakharov A.I. "Day and night fears in children" - Soyuz Publishing House, St. Petersburg, 2000.

Allan Fromm "ABC for parents or how to help a child in difficult situation", Thomas Gordon "R.E.T. Increasing parental efficiency. - Yekaterinburg: Publishing House of ARD LTD., 1997.

Alla Spivakovskaya "Psychotherapy: play, childhood, family" / Volume 2 - LLC April Press, CJSC Publishing House EKSMO - Press, 2000.

Parishioners A.M. "Anxiety in children and adolescents: Psychological nature and age dynamics" - Moscow-Voronezh, 2000.

Markovskaya I.M. "Training of interaction between parents and children" - St. Petersburg: Publishing House "Rech", 2000.

Hello, Dear friends! Today I want to touch on a problem that worries many parents: children's fears. Where do they come from and what to do with it?

There are few people in the world who would not be afraid of anything at all. Someone is afraid of snakes, insects, and someone is afraid of the dark and dentists. Some will never fly in an airplane, while others rush screaming away from cockroaches or frogs.

Sometimes the cause of fear is not objects, but entire situations: darkness, closed space, loneliness, uncertainty.

But children's fears are a special case. They arise gradually or suddenly in the life of a child, caused by some traumatic experiences, and sometimes consciously formed by adults. How often do you hear from your mother on the playground: “If you don’t obey, I’ll give you to someone else’s uncle or call the police to pick you up!”, or “Now I’ll call an ambulance so that the doctor gives you an injection with a huge syringe!” And how often adults scare children with a "grandmother" or "Baba Yaga".

The main fears of children of preschool and primary school age:

1. fear of dogs (or cats), insects, reptiles.
2. Night fears (fear of fictional monsters, darkness)
3. Fear of strangers (including doctors and policemen)
4. Fear of being alone at home (or in a room).

This problem has not bypassed our family. The eldest son at preschool age was afraid of dogs and cats. This fear began after he was lightly bitten by a small domestic dog while playing with her. And when his grandmother's cat scratched him, he became afraid of all cats. In this case, the son himself acquired a traumatic experience.

And there are times when parents, wanting to protect the child from danger, often exaggerate: "Get away from the dog, otherwise it will bite!" It is for this reason, it seems to me younger son afraid of dogs, because during walks, dad always tried to protect the child from "dog aggression".

How to respond to parents' fears of children and how to help overcome them

The most important thing is to try to understand your child, to react calmly to tears and tantrums, not to call him a coward or a weakling, but to try to distract and calm him down.

If the child is afraid of the dark, it is better to leave a nightlight burning in the room, sit next to him until he falls asleep.

You can ask the kid to draw his fear on paper, and then tear this drawing into pieces or cut it with scissors or burn it, thereby symbolizing that the fear is gone.

Try to use fairy tale therapy, game therapy (consider the situation in a playful way).

Humor also helps: invite your child to draw a monster, ghost or dog in pretentious manner, with ridiculous and funny features to make it fun. Encourage your baby's ideas by laughing and rejoicing with him.

Usually children's fears go away on their own by the age of eight or nine. But if the fear has turned into a phobia and does not go away with age, then it is better to show the child to a psychologist.

Today I told you what are the main children's fears, and how to help the child overcome them.
I wish all parents that they do not face this problem. Your sensitivity, attentiveness, love and support will help the baby overcome his terrible fears.

The child grows, develops, learns the world and reacts to it in accordance with its genetic predisposition, personal experience, characteristics of character, upbringing and behavior of parents. Fear is a natural human reaction to objects that pose a real or perceived threat. Children's fear usually differs from an adult in its short course.

Among the factors influencing the occurrence of fears in a child, one can single out gender, because according to statistics, girls are more prone to fears than boys. The number of children in the family also affects - one child due to high emotional attachment to parents, experiences more fears than the owner of brothers and sisters. Also, the cause may be childhood neurosis. Any family conflicts contribute to the emergence of neuroses in children, because the child is inclined to blame himself for everything that happens. We can say that this is a signal that there are problems in adult relationships.

What other reasons can provoke fear?

Kinds

Children's fears can be divided into biological (natural) and social. The first, of course, are natural fears, which are based on the instinct of self-preservation. These include fear of the dark, sharp sounds, monsters, animals. Over time, fears of one's own and parental death are added, as well as a fear of thunderstorms, water, fire, heights and confined spaces. After meeting people in white coats, there may be a fear of doctors, injections, blood, dentistry. Biological fears are usually inherent in children under 8 years of age.

Social fears begin to appear a little later. Older preschoolers and first-graders begin to experience fear of being late, loneliness, punishment, discontent of parents and significant adults.

There is another classification of fears, which implies division depending on the frightening object or situation, the causes of occurrence, and the specifics of the course.

• overvalued - these are natural fears, fueled by the fantasy of the child. This group is the most popular and extensive;
• childhood phobias - this includes fears of heights, water, closed spaces- those fears that can be in the adult state;
• delusional fears - they include fears that are inexplicable from the standpoint of the norm. Very often, phobias can be provoked by some kind of erroneous stimulus, that is, for example, a child failed when he was visiting certain person. A connection has been established in the unconscious of the baby, and the next time this person appears, he may be frightened.

Developmental psychology specializes in the characteristics of each period of human development. Fears are an important component, each age has its own characteristic items, disturbing and human anxiety.

0 - 1 year - loud noises, noise, absence of mother, strangers, dressing;

1 - 3 years - night terrors, nightmares, unusual location of familiar objects, change of scenery, separation from parents;

3-5 years - height, water, darkness, animals;

5 - 7 years - death of parents and one's own, loneliness, characters of fairy tales;

7 - 9 years - disapproval of adults and peers, punishment, lateness;

9 - 12 years old - inconsistency with classmates and friends, academic failure, own appearance.

When diagnosing children's fears, it is also supposed to be divided into three groups, depending on the severity: low, medium (age norm) and high. According to statistics, more than half of children of eight years old demonstrate high level fear. Least of all children have a low degree of severity of fears.

Features of manifestation

Manifestations are very different. In a mild form, this may be a rapid pulse, dilated pupils, trembling, and other somatic symptoms. Depending on age, fright can be expressed by screaming, crying, complaining, and outright horror and panic. Peculiarities of children's fears are that they arise in periods and usually last no more than a month. However, there are fears that can stay with a person until adulthood and develop into full-fledged phobias. These include acrophobia, hydrophobia, thanatophobia and others.

There are various manifestations of fear in a child. For example, the fear of nightmares is detected at the time of going to bed, the baby will ask to go to bed with his parents or categorically refuse to fall asleep alone. The fear of a fabulous monster, generated by a child's fantasy, provokes a child to hide in a closet or other secluded places. At the age of 6, the fear of death is most acutely felt, it is the basis for most manifestations of fear:

• monsters;
• animals;
• darkness;
• attacks;
• illness;
• natural elements.

Schoolchildren have new fears associated with educational activities. The trepidation of being judged by adults, the fear of being late for class, the fear of not being oneself. For some children, even those who study normally and do not have special behavioral problems, the parent meeting also causes excitement. Fear of punishment is often experienced by those who have never been physically attacked.

The psyche of the child is formed under the influence of the environment in which he lives. Often parents unwittingly become a catalyst in the development of children's fear. In no case should you devalue the complaints of the baby, try to shame or assure that there is nothing to worry about. Helping a child overcome fears is possible only with attentive behavior, understanding and love. Ask in detail small child about what worries him. Understand and approach the problem consciously.

Do not forget that your own heightened anxiety will definitely affect the behavior of your children.

How to deal with childhood fears

You can overcome children's fear with the help of a professional psychologist. There are many methods used by specialists when working with children of a certain age. Starting from the age of 4 years of the client, the psychologist-consultant uses fairy tale therapy and art therapy to work with phobias. Psychocorrection occurs quite quickly, with proper support from parents.

fairy tale therapy

Fears in preschool age are effectively eliminated using this technique. Let us analyze in detail the stages of working with a therapeutic fairy tale using the example of a 5-year-old boy who was afraid of injections.

1. Of the toys available in the office, the kid was asked to choose the most attractive to him. He chose Spider-Man.
2. The psychologist offers a little client to listen to a fairy tale about Spider-Man. The fairy tale has a certain structure that disposes the child. Its protagonist has mass positive qualities, and only one small problem - he is afraid of injections. The therapist points out that this fear is quite natural.
3. After that, the psychologist falls silent and invites the boy to express his assumptions about what exactly scares Spider-Man.
4. After listening to all the arguments of the client, the therapist offers him to choose from the remaining toys, another hero who will help Spider-Man. The boy chose Cheburashka.
5. Both toys are placed side by side, and the psychologist invites the client to think of how Cheburashka will help Spider-Man in overcoming the fear of injections.
6. The kid tells his version of the happy ending of the fairy tale. After that, the psychologist is interested in the feelings of the client. Then he offers to find him the positive features that he and Cheburashka have. Separately, those “magic” words of Cheburashka stand out, which helped Spider-Man cope with the fear of injections.

Art therapy

Art therapy helps a lot to get rid of children's fears. This direction in psychotherapy is based on healing by art, in its various manifestations. Most often, visual art is implied, however, there are methods of music therapy and dance therapy. In working with phobias in children, art therapy has a very high performance. Consider the standard sequence of actions of a psychologist-consultant during a session with a child.

1. Establishing contact with the child, building a trusting relationship.
2. An offer to portray your fear. It can be a drawing or a sculpture.
3. Analysis of the result. The psychologist carefully evaluates all aspects of the drawing: what is depicted, where exactly, what sizes, whether the child himself is depicted, with what pressure the lines were drawn.
4. The child is offered to love the object that he depicted. For example, a painted or sculpted dog is not really evil, but simply barked at the child on duty.
5. The kid begins to rethink his attitude, it is possible to sympathize even with the object of fear.
6. At the end, the child is asked about the emotions that he experiences.

Drawing fear effectively works when the object is generated by fantasy, or by events that happened a long time ago. Sometimes working with a drawing happens differently: the client is offered to add something, for example, cross out (shade) a frightening image, or destroy the entire sheet (tear into small pieces, burn). After the symbolic ritual, the psychologist draws the attention of the child that fear no longer exists.

One of the main tips for parents of children who are prone to any kind of fear will be to carefully consider their behavior with the child. You need to understand that up to a certain age, a child is exclusively the “result” of your attitude, behavior, upbringing. And if he upsets you with something, or it seems that he does everything to spite you, it means that you are somehow, unconsciously provoking this. Therefore, the correction of the child's behavior is directly related to changes in the behavior of adults.

Parental counseling is the main goal of a psychologist who has brought a child with a problem. Unfortunately, it often happens when a mother comes to a child psychologist and demands to “cure” her child, while she is sure that own behavior does not need correction.

The psychologist helps the child, and during the time between sessions, such a mother unconsciously nullifies all the progress made. At the same time, she rejects all the recommendations of the specialist, arguing that everything is fine with her, and the problem of her child needs to be solved. Therefore, if your baby has a phobia that has not gone away within 3-4 weeks, be sure to contact a psychologist, and the consultation will be useful for both the child and the parent.

In order to convey useful information to parents, psychologists working in children's institutions create special corners. Recently, in some kindergartens, it has become fashionable to place so-called slide folders in the rooms where parents are expecting children. They are informational materials for parents, staff and the children themselves. These are specially designed stands with useful tips psychologists and speech therapists.

Sigmund Freud's collection Psychoanalysis of Childhood Fears includes an analysis of a five-year-old boy's phobia - this is the case of little Hans - very famous in psychoanalytic circles. I will not go into the details of illness and cure, however, although Hans was Freud's patient, I want to draw attention to the author's own preface. He said that the described case was observed not by him personally, but by the father of Hans, who carried out all the treatment, only with the support of a psychoanalyst.

Freud highly appreciates the merit of the boy's father and even expresses the idea that only father and could get such confessions from Hans. The coincidence of tender feelings with scientific interest led to such important results, both for psychoanalysis in general and for the life of a particular boy.

The child psychologist of the European Medical Center Maria Zvegintseva in the next video

conclusions

Children's fears are natural age features associated with understanding the world. If the child does not get hung up on fear, and fear is not present for more than a few weeks, then there is no need to worry. In case of protracted processes, you need to contact a psychologist. Techniques help fight children's fears: art therapy, fairy tale therapy, sand therapy. Consulting parents is the key to successfully getting rid of your baby's phobia.