Children's fears are profound experiences of childhood, which sometimes appear later in later life. According to the results of some studies, every second child has fears at one or another age. Most often they occur in children aged from two to nine years.
Children's fears and their correction have long been the object of careful study by many psychologists from different countries. At the moment, there are several ways to identify fears and correct them. The most popular and effective are described below.
Painting
Drawing is a good way to get rid of childish fear. For drawing, you need to prepare sheets of paper and paint. On this paper, the child must draw what scares him. It is better to draw with the child, to depict your version of events. Once the drawing is finished, you need to ask the child to describe this drawing. During the explanations it is necessary to ask clarifying questions. If, for example, the baby has drawn a snake, then it's worth asking whether it's a girl or a boy. If the picture depicts a fire, then it is worth asking why it arose. It is necessary to actively support the dialogue, to praise the child.
After this, tell the child why his fears are in vain. It is necessary to do this in a language understandable to the child, the words can be backed up with drawings. After the child understands everything, you can arrange a "ritual burning" of drawings. But do not forget about the safety rules, so it's best to carry out the ritual in the bathroom.
It is worth bearing in mind that to completely get rid of the fear of one session is not enough. Most likely, to achieve the required result, it will take about two weeks. Sessions should be held regularly, since getting rid of childish fear can only be done through systematic studies.
Usually such drawings help in the event that fears arise because of the rich children's imagination, that is not happening ever in his life, but fictional to them. If, however, the cause of the fear is a real event (for example, a fall from a height, a dog's bite), then drawing to get rid of such fear helps only in rare cases. You should also bear in mind that this method can not be used if there has not been enough time since the incident of a real event, since this can only aggravate the situation.
To get rid of the fears of the child, which are associated with the problems of adaptation in society, closed space, fear of parental punishment, experts recommend using object-role games.
The game of specks
The essence of the game in the following: it is necessary to designate a platform for the game, on which the players are located. The task of the facilitator is to catch up with the players. The one who is caught, becomes the leader. The atmosphere in the game should be as friendly and fun as possible. Parents should definitely take part in this game, sometimes succumbing to the child.
Such a game helps rid fear of punishment. In addition, she perfectly restores the lost confidential relationship between the child and his parents.
Peekaboo
This popular game is known since childhood. It also perfectly helps to overcome fears: fear of closed space, darkness or feelings of loneliness. In order to achieve maximum effect, the presenter is better to appoint a child. It is necessary to discuss in advance the places in which you can not hide, and then extinguish the main light, leaving only, for example, a working TV or a night light.
It is worth noting that if a child does not want to play this game or has the slightest signs of fear, then it can not be forced, in any case, it can significantly exacerbate the situation.
If you can not cope with children's fears alone and it's not clear how to deal with their consequences, then you can turn to a specialist - a child psychologist. The doctor will tell you how to get rid of the fears that the child has. In most cases, the problem of any fear is eliminated even in the most neglected and severe case, but it is not desirable to delay the time, otherwise the child's psyche can be traumatized.