Children's Fears

Children may be frightened of things that appear harmless to adults. The nature if children's fears change with advancing development. Many children's fears are temporary. What children fear at 2 years old of age will be different from what they fear at the age of 5 or 8 years,

Infants
By 8 months of age infants are interested in new faces, but may fear strangers or show anxiety when close to them. Infants remember familiar faces in new situations may frighten them. for example, a different hairstyle, shaving off a bead, wearing glasses. Infants are often afraid of falling and loud noises.

Toddlers 
Two to 3 years old toddlers may fear things that make a loud noise they cannot understand, such as a vaccum cleaner or flushing toilet. They may also become fearful when things are not quite right- for example, if the furniture has been moved, a cup or plate us cracked, or adults are angry or upset.

Preschoolers
Preschool-age children 3 to 5 years old often fear imaginary danger's because they cannot easily separate real from pretend situations. Some other common fear are fears of the dark or mask covering a familiar face.

School-Age Children 
Generally , the fears of School-age children are more reality based. They fear storms, fires or injury. However, they may fear these things out of proportion to the likelihood that they will happen. As their misunderstanding matures, these fears gradually go away. Children often worry about their parent's marriage or health, and they can easily misunderstand or exaggerate mild arguments or complaints they hear.

Individual Fears
Children can also have their own special fears, either because of their own experience or because they are imitating someone else fears. They might , for example, be afraid of dogs, spiders or snakes. Adults need to be careful about showing their fears in front of children.