Fears in children, there are probably no parents who have not, to one degree or another, encountered this topic. Children's fears are a fairly significant problem both for the children themselves and for their parents. Most often, you just “wait it out”, “outgrow” this problem will not work, since fears from childhood can move into adulthood and get worse. With age, children develop fantasy and imagination, and books, games, gadgets, films, and accidentally overheard conversations of adults fuel fears. If the child has encountered a traumatic situation, then fears may become more vivid, aggressive, prolonged, and even neurotic manifestations are possible. It often happens that parents are not aware of children's fears, this is due to the fact that many children do not know how to say it, are not in contact with their parents, are afraid of condemnation, or it is not customary in the family to share their experiences. And sometimes the child is so afraid that he doesn’t even want to talk about it. Fear is a feeling of danger, anxiety, but oddly enough, fear performs a protective function - self-regulation and self-control. Fear is a basic emotion; by experiencing fear, a child can protect himself (by experiencing a sense of self-preservation). If a child has no feeling of fear, this is an alarm bell! In addition to basic fear, there are other types of fears: - invented by a child (a monster under the bed) - acquired (dogs, insects.) It is these fears that parents should help their child cope with. Another type of fear is neurotic fears, they are based on a traumatic situation, shock, trauma, abuse, etc. In such cases, fears become pathological. When talking about fears, the term “phobia” is often used. A phobia is a reaction that does not correspond to the cause that causes it. (for example, fear of closed spaces). Let’s take a closer look at invented and acquired fears. So, such fears, in turn, can be divided into Natural (darkness, any sounds, animals) and Social (punishment, relationships with peers, certain people). Children can develop fears from about 3 years old; at this age, night terrors or the fear of losing their mother are more common. By the age of 4 - fear of the dark, animals, doctors, injections. etc. At 5 years old, they are more often afraid of certain characters (trolls, villains, Baba Yaga, Babayka), and there may also be fears of being “not like that”, “Bad”. At 6-7 years old - fear of death, loss of a loved one, divorce of parents . Next, school-age children (7-9 years old) develop so-called “school fears.” They are associated with school and peers. (Fear of being rejected, of not being like everyone else). By adolescence, the number of fears decreases. What a parent can do to help a child deal with fears: *do ​​not devalue the child’s words. *listen, show sympathy. * share your stories related to fears in childhood, tell us how you coped. * if possible, try to joke, or turn some fear into a joke. (here you need to be very careful and feel the child). * don’t shame, don’t impose feelings of guilt (“You’re a future man,” “What a shame, so big,” etc.) * Discuss his fear with him, offer to live together (climb under the bed with a flashlight and make sure that no one is there). * be careful, don’t go too far, don’t regret or cherish this feeling. * Analyze the situation, perhaps the child reflects your feelings. * Invite your child to mold his fear out of dough or plasticine and play with it. If you feel that the advice did not help you and you are unable to help your child on your own, contact a specialist for help.!