Parents' List of Twelve Good Ideas for Busting Fears

Communication and Compassion
Good Idea 1. Listen
Be available and open. It is best to have 'big talks' in the daytime.'

Good Idea 2. Self-talk
Teach the child to identify and verbalise the fear and handle their fears through positive self-talk.

Copying
Good Idea 3. Modelling
Demonstrate your confidence in the safety of your world and model prevention and management of fears.

Cues, Signals and Rituals
Good Idea 4. Protect and comfort
Make sure your child's environment is safe and secure.

Good Idea 5. Teach the facts
Teach your child to have a healthy respect for animals and insects.

Good Idea 6. Have a routine
Children thrive on rules and structure. They feel safe when they know what to expect.

Good Idea 7. Relaxation
Teach your child to relax and release the tension that fear produces.

Good Idea 8. Exercise
As well as being physically healthy and enjoyable, exercise is the universal antidote to high anxiety.

Good Idea 9. Harness the child's imagination
Children can defeat anything scary in their imagination - this will help them if they have to face their fear in real life.

Good Idea 10. Stories
Children's stories are full of heroes who cope with or overcome fear - read them together and talk about them and how your child can copy their hero.

Good Idea 11. Use drawings
Children can both express and 'boss' their fears through depicting them in visual form.

Consequences
Good Idea 12. Reward
Children will make more effort and be more willing to take risks if they are motivated by rewards.