How Can Kids Overcome Their Fear of the Dark?

4 minutes

If a child is afraid of the dark, the parents should help them overcome it. In no circumstance should the parents tease their child as it could prolong the fear

How Can Kids Overcome Their Fear of the Dark?

Written by Francisco María García

Last update: 15 December, 2022

As children, we’re likely to be scared. Being scared of the dark is a normal fear for all people and it’s a part of growing up for children.

In the event that their child is scared of the dark, parents have the job of helping them channel those fears and overcome them. In today’s post, we’ll share some of our recommendations for knowing how to help kids who are scared of the dark.

These tips will help children overcome their fears as they grow older. If you start attacking this phobia from birth, children will have already overcome it by the time that they grow up.

However, sometimes children don’t know how to confront their fear and carry it with them until adolescence or adulthood.

Below, check out our guide on how to help children who are scared of the dark.

1. Have fun

A great idea that’s important to try out are education activities, such as games, that can help kids overcome their fear of the dark.

A really fun activity that kids will love is playing are shadows. The person who makes the best figure using their hands’ shadows wins.
It’s a fun idea that’ll help children beat their fear.

We recommend that you read: How to Encourage Kids to Read

2. A nightlight

Using a small, dim light or tweaking the light in the child’s room is a great way to generate tranquility.

By doing so, children can gradually overcome the panic that enters when sleeping with the lights completely turned off.

3. Don’t give in to their fear

If a child cries out for help, turning on the lights shouldn’t be the solution. What will turning on the lights do for overcoming their fear?

If children cry, try to find a way to calm them down by being with them, staying by their side. If they don’t confront what torments them, they won’t overcome the phobia in a dark room.

Without being able to overcome it, they won’t be able to sleep alone in their room until years.

4. Talk to them

Communication is fundamental. You should talk with your kids, making sure that they understand that they live in a safe place.

By talking to them, they’ll know that they don’t need to be scared of the dark. Most importantly, you really have to talk about the places that generate the fear: under the bed, the closet or the halls.

If children identify these places, their fear will shrink away.

5. Tell stories to overcome the dark

Exposing children to experience situations that might be a little scary is a helpful way to help them overcome the dark.

If they become a part of these situations, they’ll be able to get over them easier through the stories of their imagination.

6. Teasing not allowed

Even though it might seem like a no-brainer, some parents tease their kids without meaning to. In these cases, it happens because what their children might say or the situation itself might be be funny to them.

The feeling of being teased hinders children from letting go of their fear easily, thus, making it last longer.

7. Don’t startle them

Though this tip also might seem like common sense, try to prevent children from going through situations that could shock them until they’ve overcome their fear.

If the family is going through unusual events, such as a robbery, you shouldn’t speak about it in front of the minor. The event could shock their nerves and they could have a panic attack at night.

Also see: 5 Simple Ways to Stop a Panic Attack

8. Music

As children grow up, music is a great way for overcoming their fear of the dark. If they have a small radio or gadget, it might come in handy.

Putting on some easy-listening music can help children relax and fall asleep. Afterwards, parents can turn off the device.

If you do this consistently, children will forget and overcome their fears after a couple of weeks.

There are all key tips for helping children get over their fears of the dark. For a mother or another family member, the first and foremost is helping them be okay.

This fear isn’t a game or nonsense. It’s real and, sometimes, even adults experience it as well.

This is why it’s so important to know how to understand the fear in order to channel it and help children confront them.

There is no phobia that’s impossible to overcome by confrontation. The varied methods that we’ve talked about in our post will be useful for pushing back against this common fear.

Using those methods, the little guys will feel safe at all times.