Why are children afraid of the dark and timid? What should parents do?

Very young children are afraid of the dark and have to sleep with the lights on. Some seriously ill children must sleep with their parents at night. Many parents are troubled by this. Every time they try to sleep in separate rooms with their children, the children will resist. In fact, it is normal for children to be afraid of the dark. Many children are born afraid of the dark, but this does not mean that parents must sleep with their children or turn on the lights when sleeping. Parents should give their children more sense of security and gradually let them adapt to sleeping alone.

1. Reasons why children are afraid of the dark:

1. Children’s fear of the dark and ghosts basically stems from a unique psychological phenomenon called “animism”. The so-called animism refers to the psychological tendency of children to regard all things as living things with intentions like humans through imagination. If children often receive fear messages from the adult world, for example, some parents often use monsters and demons to scare and threaten their children, it will cause emotionally unstable children to be in a state of tension for a long time, and regard darkness as a container of terrifying things.

2. Children lack a sense of security. The term "sense of security" originated from the "secure attachment" of a child to his or her mother during the mother-infant period. That is, before the child is one year old, if the mother is sensitive to the child's needs and can meet the child's needs regularly and promptly (eating, drinking, defecating, urinating, sleeping, comforting, touching, etc.), the child will have a basic sense of trust in the mother and establish a secure attachment to the mother, which is a "sense of security." If parents do not give their children enough companionship, the children will lack a sense of security and will become timid, afraid of the dark, and clingy to their mothers.

3. Another important reason is that children are sensitive to touch. Touch is the most important nutrition for nervous tissue. The sensitivity of touch will affect the brain's recognition ability, body flexibility and mood. Therefore, touch occupies a very important position in the function of the human sensory system.

However, if the child is born by caesarean section, does not crawl enough, lacks the caress of parents, siblings or friends during the growth process, does not participate in a lot of outdoor activities, etc., which leads to tactile system disorders, it is easy to lead to insufficient tactile learning and show tactile sensitivity such as timidity, crying, clinginess, fear of the dark, etc. Specifically speaking of fear of the dark, it is mainly because children find it difficult to perceive their own bodies in a dark environment as smoothly and freely as in a bright environment, so they feel uncomfortable and lack a sense of security.

2. So how can we help children solve the problem of being afraid of the dark?

1. Find out what your child is afraid of. When children are afraid of the dark, it is useless for parents to simply comfort them and tell them not to be afraid. Parents must communicate seriously with their children to understand the source of their fear. Also, tell your children that where they live now is safe to reduce their anxiety.

2. Creating a good bedtime atmosphere is also very effective in overcoming children’s fear of the dark. Keeping children in a cheerful mood before bed can distract them from their fear of the dark. Parents may wish to read a few fun stories to their children before they go to bed, so that their children can absorb positive energy from positive and happy things.

3. Spend more time with your children, take them to nature, and engage in more outdoor activities. Give your child more touch massage and play games that stimulate the skin at home, or use some professional sensory teaching aids, such as a big dragon ball, to give your child enough tactile training at home, thereby reducing the child's tactile sensitivity and improving the child's fear of the dark.

3. Notes

If a child is timid and afraid of the dark, parents must find the reason and the correct method. Don't beat or scold your children. This will not only hinder their ability to overcome their fear of the dark, but will also harm their mental health. When taking children to professional sensory training, parents must have patience and perseverance to help their children overcome this problem through training.