By Heidi Smith Luedtke, Ph.D.
It is no accident that most children’s books and movies have villains. Vicarious scares allow kids to practice coping from a safe emotional distance. These books confront kids’ fears head-on without keeping them up at night with please-check-what’s-in-my-closet concerns.
Story and Picture Books:
Junie B. Jones Has a Monster Under Her Bed (1997) by Barbara Park.
Junie scares away an invisible under-bed monster using an ugly school picture of herself as a weapon.
A Not Scary Story About Big Scary Things (2010) by C.K. Williams.
A growling monster begs a brave boy to believe in him in this silly story.
On A Scary Scary Night (Can You See What I See?; 2008) by Walter Wick.
Search for objects in spooky scenes with your child to encourage conversation about scary subjects.
Wemberly Worried (2000), by Kevin Henkes.
Anxious kids will recognize themselves in Wemberly, a shy white mouse with lots of worries.
What Was I Scared Of? A Glow-in-the Dark Encounter (2009) by Dr. Seuss.
The narrator of this delightful classic is terrorized by an empty pair of pants that is equally scared of the narrator.
For ages 6-12:
What to Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Anxiety (2005) by Dawn Huebner.
This book educates and inspires kids to confront their anxieties with proven cognitive-behavioral techniques.
For ages 9-13:
What to Do When You’re Scared and Worried: A Guide for Kids (2004) by James J. Crist.
Kids learn practical fear-chasing and worry-erasing strategies and find out when to seek expert help for more serious anxiety disorders.
Heidi Smith Luedtke, PhD, is a personality psychologist and author of Detachment Parenting: 33 Ways to Keep Your Cool When Kids Melt Down.
For Your Information:
Read a fear-busting book together. What Was I Scared Of? A Glow-in-the Dark Encounter (2009) by Dr. Seuss.
Learn about phobias and how to handle them.
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/phobia_symptoms_types_treatment.htm
What to do if your child is afraid of the dark.
http://children.webmd.com/features/fear-of-the-dark
Learn about childhood anxiety disorders.
http://www.adaa.org/living-with-anxiety/children/childhood-anxiety-disorders
