5 ways to help kids deal with fear:

1. Open Communication                                                                     Encourage children to express their fears by listening to them without judgment. Create a safe space for open conversations where they feel heard and understood. This helps them process their emotions and feel less alone. Have a child who has trouble opening up? Try going about it with a Family Feelings Journal!

2. Normalize Fear
   Explain that fear is a normal emotion everyone experiences. Share examples of your own fears and how you manage them. This normalizes the feeling and reduces any shame or embarrassment they might feel. After normalizing fears, give kids the opportunity to identify what can help them reduce the worry. Try our Worry Pop activity.

3. Teach Coping Strategies
   Help children develop tools to manage fear, such as deep breathing, visualization, or mindfulness exercises. Simple techniques like imagining a "calm place" or counting slowly to ten can empower them to regain control when they feel scared. Here are some great techniques you can teach kids: Balloon Bellies and Bubble Breathing.

4. Use Stories or Play
   Books, storytelling, and role-playing are great ways to help children confront fears in a non-threatening way. Characters in stories often face challenges similar to their own, which can provide a healthy model for how to cope. Try Feeling All My Fear for kids ages 3-6, Anxious Axolotl, for kids 8 and under and Outsmarting Worry for ages 9-13. 

5. Gradual Exposure
   Gently expose kids to the things they fear in a controlled, supportive manner. By gradually facing their fears step-by-step, they build confidence and learn that they can handle difficult situations. Letting kids "get out of" doing things that cause anxiety actually backfires and reinforces the anxiety. While it may offer relief in the moment, it increases it for the long haul. For kids with phobias, try What to Do When Fear Interferes for ages 7-11.

These methods can help children feel empowered and better equipped to manage their fears over time.

Find all of our resources to help with anxiety, fear and stress by going HERE.

Until next time,

Wendy Young, LMSW, BCD, is  the founder of Kidlutions and co-author of BLOOM: 50 Things to Say, Think and Do with Anxious, Angry and Over-the-Top Kids, co-creator of BLOOM Brainsmarts, and creator of The Joyful Parent. She is the author of numerous workbooks and resources to help from the preschool through the teen years. 

Follow her on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook!  Affiliate links may be used in this post. Please see our full disclaimer, located at the top of our page for more information.

Join the Kidlutions Family

Get all this and more for FREE!

If you aren't already part of the Kidlutions' Family, sign up HERE to get the motherlode of free printables and resources!