Feeling afraid or anxious about the dark it is a natural reaction of children and that all to a lesser or greater extent have passed when we were little. We must feel empathy with this type of situation and not make small jokes about it, we have to be aware that it is part of its development and that it is more common than we think.
Since children are very young, this fear can already be fought involving them in stories or facts so that they have that contact with the dark. There are activities or games that can help and can be executed so that when the night comes it is the best time for rest and not for worry.
Tips to overcome the fear of the dark
The ages that most frequent the fear of the dark are usually between three and five years old. There are children who begin to experience this fear at 18 months and others who can manifest it up to eight or nine years of life. If we follow a series of tips we can alleviate and get them to overcome this fear from a very young age:
1. Avoid situations that may provoke your fear
Before going to bed it is advised that the child should avoid everything you can visualize and it can make your fear grow. Movies, TV shows, or hearing a scary story can scare you.
2. Don't force the situation
Do not underestimate to your fear nor do a little tease at the time of putting him to bed. It is inadvisable to leave him in the room if there is that fear and lock him up to overcome it, nor punish him in the dark in his room.
3. Show that the house is safe
You have to make them feel safe in every corner of the house and especially in those places where you are afraid. The tactic we usually use is to go with them to all those places and make sure that there is nothing.
But we can do it in a more fun way: you can play games, clean up, or make excuses that make them have to frequent those places. The most common places are usually under the bed, closets or the holes behind doors or curtains. We can make them enter all those places and thus with a kind of game or some pretext we can make them see that there is nothing to fear in those places.
4. Leave a lamp or dim light in the room
Dim lights help many children feel secure at bedtime. Makes no total darkness and that the room is illuminated, but in a soft way. You have to keep the light the same tone and even when you need the help of your parents occasionally. If by chance you need our help, you do not have to turn on the normal light in the room drastically, it will make you check again that you may be afraid of the dark.
5. Implement natural and relaxing routines
Routines start when they are very young: a relaxing bath, a bottle or glass of warm milk, and even a story. They are small details that cause the child to be induced to sleep. There are parents who complement this tactic with soft relaxing music or a light projector.
Other elements that work is that you can feel accompanied with some favorite toy or stuffed animalWe can complement his rest by tucking him in bed and kissing him good night.
We can complement all these tips with other types of strategies that also work. Can be done games to overcome fear of the dark or read stories that help them overcome this fear. It is important that whenever the child has overcome his fear with courage at a specific moment, he must be congratulated, this will help him much more to know that he can overcome it.