Common fears for children of primary school age Common fears include fear of the dark, burglary, war, death, separation or divorce of their parents, and supernatural beings (such as ghosts and monsters).
Children (age 5-7) have developed more active imaginations. They often are scared of bad dreams, disappointing parents/teachers, and getting sick or hurt. This is often when kids begin to worry about monsters in their closets or under their beds.
What's Fear Anyway? Fear is a feeling that everyone has — it's programmed into all of us — and that's a good thing because fear is there to protect us. We're born with a sense of fear so we can react to something that could be dangerous.
The Hierarchy of Fears
In a 2022 poll, similar findings emerged. A fear of snakes, heights, spiders, and public speaking rounded out the top four. I suspect many readers know the terror of unwanted, directed attention.
7 to 8 years – Common fears include being left alone and can lead to wanting company, even if they are playing by themself. They may talk about death and worry about things that could harm them, for example, car accidents to plane crashes.
Young toddlers (especially shy, cautious kids) often fear loud sounds like thunder, firecrackers, or barking dogs. Around age three, fear of “bad men,” monsters, and witches often develop. One reason fears pop up at this age is because of a 3-year-old's new ability: comparing.
Two-year-olds, no matter what their language development, may be unable to express why they're afraid of something, and the feeling of fear may be new to them. Fear at this age can show up as sadness, clinginess, unpredictable behavior, dramatic mood swings, or something else entirely.
Some common fears that teenagers experience include: fears of sickness. fear of their parents divorcing. fear of not doing well in school.
We are born with only two innate fears: the fear of falling and the fear of loud sounds. A 1960 study evaluated depth perception among 6- to14-month-old infants, as well as young animals.
Humans also fear death because they view death as an annihilation of their person, a radical personal transformation, a threat to the meaningfulness of life, and a threat to the completion of life projects.
Toddlers and preschoolers are often frightened of very specific things: bugs, dogs, the dark, clowns, or even the vacuum cleaner. Sometimes their fears are broader – many are afraid of new situations or meeting new people. Your child is especially vulnerable to fear at this age because of his highly active imagination.
If fears or worries are extreme or keep a child from doing normal things, it might be a sign of an anxiety disorder. Talk to your doctor if your child's fears: seem extreme or last past the normal age. cause your child to be very upset or have tantrums.
“Keep in mind, children might be afraid of Santa for a multitude of reasons—his beard, an unfamiliar outfit, booming voice, size,” she said. “Fears of Santa are normal in the roughly 1-6 year age bracket, so don't be concerned something is wrong with your child's development.”
Health problems or becoming sick • Being smaller or much larger than other children. Being left out of a group, not getting along well with teachers, not being good enough at sports. Personal harm from other children, family or others. Separation from the family.
Most fears are a normal, natural part of childhood. However, if a child is afraid all the time, or has fears that stop them from having fun or interfere with their daily life, this could be a sign of anxiety and it may be time to get some professional help.
Some children develop a fear of the dark without any specific reason. Others can point to a specific event, such as hearing a scary story, watching something scary on TV or living through a difficult experience, which started the problem.
They may find themselves more rundown by stress dealing with social, academic, and extracurricular pressures. Thirteen-year-olds can have worries related to their newly acquired body changes with puberty.
But teenagers are more likely to be worried about themselves — their performance in school or sports, how they are perceived by others, the changes in their bodies. Some anxious teenagers have been anxious for many years by the time they reach adolescence. Generally, the period between puberty and legal adulthood.
Kids between 8 and 12 are called “tweens” because they are in between children and teenagers. It's very normal for kids this age to start to move from being very close to parents to wanting to be more independent. But they still need a lot of help from their parents. Kids this age go through big physical changes.