How Parents Can Help Kids Afraid of Halloween Overcome Their Fears
Costumes, candy, what’s not to love about Halloween if you’re a kid? For kids who have anxiety? Plenty.
Not everyone likes creepy costumes and spooky decorations, but they cause some children actual fear and genuine distress. According to an article in Psychology Today, “the lifetime prevalence of specific phobias among children and adolescents is estimated to be as high as 5%.” Johns Hopkins Medicine defines a phobia as “an uncontrollable, irrational, and lasting fear of a certain object, situation, or activity,” one that “can be so overwhelming that a person may go to great lengths to avoid the source of this fear. “Maskaphobia,” a fear of those in masks and costumes, is one of many phobias.
Psychology experts offer five tips to help kids overcome their fears and ensure they enjoy Halloween this year:
1. Keep your child’s age and developmental level in mind. Preschoolers commonly fear masks and costumed characters but “age out” of this fear by the primary elementary school years.
2. Find out what your child really wants – identify their goals. Do they want to trick-or-treat with their friends or attend a class Halloween party? Do they feel they would be missing out if they did not participate? If they are not interested and are anxious about the prospect, let it go and try again next year. But if your child wants to dress up at school but is afraid to do so, you can gently challenge them to overcome their fears.
3. Try to find out what your child is specifically worried about. Ask questions: “What goes through your mind when you see___?” or “What pops into your head that scares you when you see___?” Some kids may be frightened that an animated figure like Mickey Mouse or a monster may have come to life. Others might worry because they can’t see a person’s facial expressions behind their mask. Identifying the concrete fear is the first step toward helping them face their anxieties.
4. “Practice” Halloween by wearing costumes or masks before Halloween night. Gradually exposing your child to a new costume – letting them play with it or try it on – can help them feel more comfortable. Watching videos or looking at pictures of kids in costumes can also help.
5. While you are out trick-or-treating, follow your child’s lead. Acknowledge their fears, but communicate your confidence in their ability to handle their anxiety. You might say something like “I know how scary it feels when see others in vampire costumes. I believe you can face your fears.” Praise their efforts when they pass by those in scary costumes on the street.
Read the full article here.
Friedberg, Robert, Ph.D., ABPP and Romzid, Erica, Ph.D., ACT. “What to Do When Your Child Is Afraid of Halloween and Costumes: Five Tips from Psychologists.” Psychology Today, 16 Oct 2022, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/emotionally-hardy-children-and-families/202210/what-do-when-your-child-is-afraid-halloween-and.