Various fears are observed in almost all children of all ages, but it is important to distinguish fears that are normal for a given age from fears that cause discomfort to the child in his life. Through many interviews and observations, scientists have established typical types of fear for each age period.
First year of life
Already from the first month, the baby subjectively perceives the world around him, he has the first fears. Most often they arise due to the difficulties of satisfying the lack of food, sleep, movement, etc. At about 2 months, anxiety appears with a short separation from the mother. Starting from 6 months, the child begins to experience fear when unfamiliar faces appear, as well as when in unfamiliar surroundings. The baby is afraid of other people's sounds: a change in the timbre of the mother's voice when she is angry or scolding, sharp or loud sounds.
Fears from 1 to 3 years
Parents are very mistaken who believe that the child is still too young to understand their quarrels. He may not understand, but he feels everything perfectly. In the absence of conflicts in the family, the child may not develop such anxiety in the case of "strange" behavior of adults.
A child under three years of age requires attention more than ever. He interferes in the conversations of adults, shouts, is capricious. Typical for this age.
Fears from 3 to 5 years
This period is the time when the child becomes aware of his own “I”. The child can already express his feelings for close words. That is why the careless phrases of the parents (“you won’t obey, I’ll stop being friends with you!”, Etc.) are deposited in the child's mind in the form of anxieties and fears. He takes such words too literally and to heart, etc.
In this age period, it is very common. The kid calls his mother, asks to turn on the lamp and open the door. In order not to aggravate the situation, you should not try to "teach the mind to the mind" of the child, closing him alone in a dark room to get used to it. This will not help, but will only harm the child's psyche.
At 3-5 years old, the world around the child is filled with his own imagination. Here mom reads him a fairy tale about an evil gray wolf, and now a child imagines that the same wolf is standing outside the door of his room. Basically, such fears arise from a lack of attention and a sense of protection.
Fears from 5 to 7 years
At this age, there is a peak in the number of fears in a child. The strongest is, as a rule, the Child begins to realize that sooner or later this will happen to everyone. The fear of death is also associated with the fear of war, attacks (including fairy-tale characters, as at the age of 3-5), animals, hurricane, etc.
The child develops values, awareness of culture and rules of behavior. That is why it is inherent in children of this age. In a situation of waiting for something, he is very nervous, constantly asking if they will come on time, if mom has set the alarm, etc. Along with a nervous sense of anticipation is the fear of going to school. This fear is most pronounced in children with older brothers / sisters who spoke negatively about the difficulty of studying at school.
Fears from 7 to 11 years old
The child is losing preschool egocentricity, and. Now he is afraid not for himself, but for relatives, friends, but most of all - for his parents.
The fear of not conforming to social norms also takes on a new look. The child is afraid not to live up to the expectations of his parents, to bring home a notebook with a deuce, to answer incorrectly at the blackboard, not to correspond to the “coolness” of his comrades, etc.
Fears from 11 to 16 years old
Normally, all childhood fears and anxieties in adolescence should be smoothed out. There are new fears associated with the growing up of the child and the formation of his self-esteem. He is afraid, i.e. not meet your own requirements for yourself.
Teenagers are going through physical and physiological changes, which is why many of them begin to have complexes because of their appearance.
