You Don’t Scare Me Creepy Clown! Helping Children Face Their Fears
I'm sad to report that the creepy clown viral phenomenon has come to Canada. People dressed as menacing clowns are being spotted, in particular, around schools. I sympathize with paren'ts who have to comfort children frightened by one of these imposters (of course they're not real clowns, and they are giving all clowns a bad name).
When my daughter was small, she was afraid of clowns. She wouldn't go to a birthday party unless I checked first to make sure no clowns would be making an appearance, she didn't like circuses and she was even a bit anxious about Hallowe'en. I worried for a while that this fear was preventing her from enjoying normal childhood activities, but eventually it stopped bothering her and life went back to normal.
It isn't unusual for children to have fears; in fact, child health experts say they are a normal and necessary part of a child's growth and development. Sometimes, however, fear or anxiety can interfere with a child's ability to function. When this happens, paren'ts may want to get some guidance about how to best help their child.
Here are some resources with information for paren'ts about childhood fears and phobias:
- An Age by Age Guide to Kids' Phobias: lists common fears by age, with tips for paren'ts to help their children deal with them
- Anxiety, Fears, and Phobias: describes the normal fears and anxieties that children experience at different stages of childhood, discusses common signs of anxiety, and provides helpful information for paren'ts concerned that their child might be developing a phobia
- Taming the Monsters: Helping Children Deal with their Fears: lists common childhood fears by age, provides information about how to help children cope with them, and lists signs of phobias and when to seek medical advice
- Understanding Childhood Fears and Phobias: tips for paren'ts about how to deal with common childhood fears, and information about how fears and phobias can be treated if that becomes necessary
Here are some books with information for paren'ts about this subject:
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And here are some books to read with your child:
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2 thoughts on “You Don’t Scare Me Creepy Clown! Helping Children Face Their Fears”
A timely post, thank you! I dislike those clowns too. Another fun book to your list of picture books is the classic read-aloud Go Way Big, Green Monster by Ed Emberley – the book is also sold as a app, which is really fun for kids to flip through and make the monster appear and disappear.
http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM185952&R=185952
For the caregivers – one more great title is Keys to Paren’ting Your Anxious Child by K. Manassis (from Sick Kids Hospital and UofT):
http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM3328078&R=3328078
Happy Halloween 🙂
Thanks for taking the time to make these suggestions Iana. They look like great resources for paren’ts. The Go Away, Big Green Monster!app sounds cool. I hadn’t heard of this book, but I know Ed Emberley is an award-winning children’s author. I’m sure many paren’ts will want to share it with their kids.
Thanks again for your comment.