5 Ways to Teach Your Child to be Brave
First and foremost, here’s a simple sentence, you must teach your child to be brave so that he can deal with the modern life problems with ease. Being brave from childhood will definitely be beneficial as your kid will be going through a lot in future. You must teach your child and make them strong enough to face failures along with celebrating successes, and this is where most parents falter.
This article will tell you precisely why as well as how to teach a kid to be brave and will also provide a solution to some of the commonest scary situations for kids. So, let’s dive right in.
Why Must You Teach Your Child To Be Brave?
We all have been in scary situations at least once in our lives. I’m sure you dealt with them well but in some scenarios, few people are not able to handle the situation and end up taking extreme steps. Precisely to avoid such unwanted scenarios and to make sure your child survives any situation life throws at him/her, you must teach your child to be brave from childhood. Remember, a brave child would tackle problems by themselves rather than being cooped up in fears or being dependent upon others.
According to studies, brave kids are expected to live more successful and satisfying lives. Also, being courageous will change their mindsets for the good and still enhance their decision-making process. When a child is taught to be courageous, he or she becomes more mature and this can be seen easily in their day-to-day life choices.
Tips To Teach Your Child to Be Brave
You can try several ways to teach your child to be brave, however, you must choose the way which is the most comfortable for both your child and you. The most important thing here is to identify the type of fear. Here are some tips that you can apply thereafter:
Cultural Values and Heritage
This is one of the most effective ways to make your child brave. Just telling your child about your rich and brave culture will naturally evoke courage in them. Telling your child the history of your ancestors will make them feel that it is important to be brave and to show morality. Culture is the topmost thing that will influence your child easily. Also, this way you can evoke family pride in them along with making them learn their history.
Talk With Them
Although it may seem to be a very commonplace suggestion, but did you know talking with your child can make them brave as well? Their fears can be easily overcome just by talking honestly with them. Tell them some instances of bravery. Talk with them openly and share your life experiences. This will encourage them to face their fears and problems with confidence. The one way they can be really brave is if they share their problems and get some real-life experiences from your end.
Set Examples
As you might have heard already, kids imitate their role models. You can set examples for them of people who stepped out of their comfort zones and faced some really scary situations. This way they can be informed of their limits and abilities. You can also show them videos of people facing and getting rid of their fears. This will motivate them to embrace their fears and be brave.
Real-Life Models
Another great tip is that you can provide examples of real-life superheroes such as policemen, firefighters and soldiers to encourage your kids to be brave. Their stories will help your children to be brave and strong. Not only this you can also read to them quotes by famous and brave personalities in order to enable them to develop a brave mindset early on in life. One suggestion would be to replace bedtime stories of imaginary superheroes with real-life superhero stories.
Tell Them the Real Meaning of Courage
Make sure to tell your children the real meaning of being brave. Kids often tend to believe that only superheroes can be brave and it is important that you tell them that anyone can be as brave. Try different methods and approaches but only choose those in which your children is the most comfortable. Tell them the different ways in which they can be brave, explain to them how they can face their fears.
Examples Of Some Common Scary Situations For Kids and How To Deal With Them
Fear of the First Day of Preschool
This is one of the most common fears and it is normally the fear of separation from the parent/guardian. However, there can be numerous other reasons for this fear too. Kids scared for the first day of preschool display rejection and avoidance to go to school. It is common for kids to be scared of preschool as they don’t want to be away from their parents. Another reason for this could be that your child doesn’t want to meet new people or is scared of strangers. Some kids don’t like to speak in front of the class and that could be a contributing factor as well.
But, the good news is that you can do a lot to help your child in such a situation. The most important thing is to build a sense of confidence and that can be done easily by talking. Calm your child and try to discuss as to why they are facing such an issue. You can also arrange rehearsals before the actual date to encourage them to go to the preschool with a positive attitude. Keep in mind not to be overprotective. This will make your child feel that there is something scary indeed. Let them deal with their problems and face their fears. They will overcome the fears more easily if you let them face the fears themselves. Keep a track of their progress and if they still feel scared, remember not to criticise or scold them. Understand that this will take some time.
Scared for a Visit to the Doctor
Kids are often scared to visit a doctor due to several reasons. The primary reason is the fear of needles and another one might be the fear of strangers. Children (and even some adults for that matter) are scared of needles as they feel it will hurt. As a result, they don’t want to visit a doctor at all. Also, it is very difficult to explain the proper procedure to a child.
As a parent, you can help your child by simply telling them the real meaning and work of a doctor. Assure them that the doctor is going to just treat them in case if they have any problem. One thing you should never do is create fears or jokes about needles if your child is scared of it. Just like a preschool, you can also rehearse and illustrate the purpose of the visit to the child. Holding your child’s hand or hugging him/her while with a doctor can further encourage him/her to face the fear as he/she will feel more secure this way.
Fear of Loud Noises
It is normal for a kid to be scared of loud noises. This is because kids don’t recognize the sound or they are not able to identify the source of the sound. This makes them feel insecure about their surroundings. Sudden sounds from crackers or gun fires can scare a child because they are so sudden that he/she doesn’t get the time to identify it. Usually, this type of fear goes away when the child starts to recognize the origin of the sound with age. Then they adapt to that sound and don’t feel scared anymore.
However, if your child is overly scared of loud noises, you can tell him/her about the origin of the sound, while calming him/her down. Once they know the sound, they are less likely to feel afraid the next time they hear the same sound. In case you know that your child is scared of a particular noise, you can simply talk to him/her about it and help him/her deal with it. But, it’s important to make sure that it’s just a common fear and not a phobia. You need to identify the reason why your child is afraid of the noise. Observe the reaction of your child to the fear so that you can differentiate between a fear and a phobia. Do not hesitate to consult a counsellor should you need more guidance.
Fear of Being Separated
Kids are often afraid of being separated from someone they love like parents or pets in the home. But nevertheless, it is a common thing. Also, it is considered as a good sign of healthy emotional development. This will fade away once they begin to realise naturally. But before that happens, even goodbyes can be difficult to accept for kids.
One way to help your child with this problem is by practising separation. You can leave your child alone for some time and gradually increase the time of separation. This way your child will get used to the separation. If you tell your child that you will be back at a particular time then you need to return at that promised time. This will develop a confidence in your child about the fact that you will be back whenever you leave for somewhere. You can also kiss your child whenever you say goodbye and assure them that both he/she and you will be fine and there’s nothing to worry about. If you regularly go out for work, make sure to tell your child about it.
Brave Kids Are Happy Kids
You have now read everything you need to know about how to teach your child to be brave. We have discussed 4 of the commonest scary situations for kids as well. Some of these fears will just fade away with time but you can definitely take some measures to boost the process and ensure your child’s happiness. After all, that’s what we want the most, right?
Thank you for reading!
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