Teaching Your Children to Dream, not Fear

As often as you can, tuck your children in bed at night and create a lasting bond so that they’ll grow up to be strong, healthy adults

Reviewed and approved by psychologist Valeria Sabater.

Written by Valeria Sabater

Last update: 27 May, 2022

Teaching your children to dream doesn’t mean they can’t see life with objectivity and responsibility.

This kind of education means that you allow them to have dreams that they want to achieve, and for them to feel free to create their own horizons.

An upbringing where fear is present first creates insecurity and uncertainty, and that puts shackles on your child’s heart and feet.

Fear causes pain and wounds, and will never be educational

While it’s true that none of us are experts in terms of pedagogy or child psychology, what we do know is that every child has a need, and there’s no better response to that need than to offer our children our hearts. Because of this, we must get close to them, investing in their happiness and never their fears.

Today we want to delve a little deeper into this interesting topic: the value of teaching your children to dream.

Teaching your children to dream

The brain of a child is eager to learn, experience, perceive, feel, and dream. This is because of its amazing neuroplasticity, and it will remain this way until they are around four or five years old.

Everything that occurs during early childhood will undoubtedly leave a lasting imprint on their brain. Therefore, it’s vital that during this time you care for that bond, fostering a healthy and unique attachment where your child feels loved and secure. Teaching your children to dream is so important!

Children are actually made of quite fragile material, and this is why:

• The impact of a child’s first life experiences can determine their future development.
• If you don’t answer a child when they cry, then they tend to grow up with significantly higher levels of stress.
• A baby who is not held, cuddled, and who doesn’t feel his mother’s skin, or the affection of his father, will not establish the same number of neural connections as an infant who has continuous attention and contact.

Children are more fragile than you think because they interpret the world according to the stimuli they receive. That’s why it’s so important to be very careful and wise.

Positive reinforcement, illusion, and dreams

Teaching your children takes time, patience, and hope. However, something that happens very often is that doubt creeps in.

Will I be a good mother? Will I be a good father to my child?

Don’t worry too much about these questions. Sometimes the mother who lives by her own instincts is the most successful one.

This is because their intentions are guided by love, along with an intimate connection of affection with the child that no one else can understand.

• Education without fear. It is daunting for a child to enter this world and start to walk, talk, and interact with their environment. What they need, therefore, is the security of hands that attend to their needs, and words to encourage them to explore, discover, play, and have fun.
• A child needs a lot of play. You can use games to transform their reality and for them to understand it as they go along. Encourage these moments and share them.
• Create dreams using toys, books, running in the streets, getting your hands dirty with mud and flowers.
• The more experiences and conversations you have, the more dreams you will transmit. It’s all too easy to put up barriers. Phrases like “don’t be annoying, not now,” “I don’t have time right now,” “you’re always coming to me with nonsense…”, then eventually that child will grow up with the fear of feeling unimportant.

This is something you shouldn’t do. The best gift you can give your child is your time.

Understand and help your child face their fears

You must consider this. The child’s world is very complex, and, try as you may, as parents it’s impossible to cover every aspect of their life.

• At school they might be bullied and develop certain fears and anxieties…it’s important to be vigilant.
• Make sure you set aside time each day to talk to your child about how their day went.
• Before they go to bed, for example, you can have a relaxed conversation without judging them. Just use your intuition and allow them space to express themselves.

It doesn’t matter if they’re four years old, or 14. They will always need your help. You must be there for them.