5 Strategies to Help Kids Fight Their Fears

Growing up, children have many fears – some are irrational, while some are logical. Overcoming these fears is crucial for growing up and understanding how to deal with intimidating or demanding situations. This can also teach kids how to deal with anxiety and hypertension they may face when they grow up.

However, making the kids learn to face their fears is not something that can be accomplished within a day. It does take time and is kind of a step-by-step process. Not only it takes a lot of strength, but patience and understanding to completely defeat the fears. Being hasty during the process can often lead them back to square one. So, patience is of utmost importance when dealing with children’s fears.

So, on that note, we at JP International School, positioned among the Best Schools in Greater Noida, have brought for you five possible ways you can help your kids overcome their fears. We are sure that following these will help your child defeat the demon of fears and grow into a self-sufficient human being.

1) Treat their fears with seriousness 

The first step to helping your child tackle his/her fears is by taking their fears seriously. Try and understand that the fears that may seem minute or illogical to you are all real for them. Trying to lessen their fears by downscaling them will give them the wrong message that their fears are not important for you and that they should stop complaining. It will badly impact the growth of their minds. Naturally, the child will begin to close off and stop talking about their fears to you, even if they are terrified.

2) Communicate openly with your child

Your communication with your child is extremely important when it comes to helping them get over their fears. When you talk openly to your children about their fears, it makes them feel acknowledged, and that gives them the mental strength to fight off and defeat their fears. Try getting into the root cause of their fears, and it will help you understand if their fear has stemmed from a real-life problem or is it a fictional one. Sometimes the fears unravel on their own the more you engage in conversation.

3) Help them overcome the scenarios in their mind

Make a list of scenarios that they find intimidating and go through them one by one by talking to your child. Ask them about their perspective on the scenario and explain to them, with real-life examples, how their fears are not likely to happen. Once you go through the entire list, it will make them feel more secure and confident.

4) Encourage realistic thoughts

Fears can often be irrational, especially in very imaginative kids. For them, it is best to encourage realism as a way to cope with their thoughts. Applying the cause and reaction method to their fears can help subside their effects. Slowly they would start to use this method by themselves to overcome their fears. Once they understand that fears are mostly extreme situations, their fears are likely to subside.

5) Praise their efforts

Being a parent, it is your responsibility to ensure that your child feels appreciated for his/her efforts in the right direction. It works as a great incentive and makes the kids feel happier about their feats towards defeating their fears. They may take time to overcome their fears, but letting them know that you’re proud of them from day one would definitely help make their burden lighter.

At JP International School, one of the Best Schools in Greater Noida, we believe that fighting the fears is the first step for the kids to grow into self-confident and logical human beings. With help and support from parents, children can do anything they set their mind to, and it includes defeating their fears, whatever they may be. After all, fears are meant to be conquered at the end of the day. And with the right approach, the journey to getting over the demon of fears becomes a lot easier for the kids.

- JP International School