It’s easy to think that there’s nothing that a child could be anxious about. It seems like all they need to do is play with their toys or friends, watch TV, and refuse to go to bed on time. Despite how it may seem, children of all ages do have some very real worries going around in their heads.
The fears that each child has can differ depending on what age and stage of development they are in. This is what children in each age group are anxious about.
Ages 0-2
A big worry for kids at this age is loud noises. They’re a lot more sensitive to these things than older kids and can experience sensory overload because of them. Along with that, they also worry about things that they can’t control, which includes loud noises.
One of the more obvious things that children at this age are worried about is being separated from their parents. Younger kids don’t have a proper understanding of their surroundings and can’t comprehend where their parents are. As well as that, until they’re about 10 months old, they believe that anything that they can’t see has disappeared forever.
Ages 3-5
At this stage in their lives, children aren’t comfortable with anything that’s not familiar to them. Because of that, they can be extremely anxious when around people in costumes. That goes for people dressed up as Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, or a local mascot.
Despite their worry around costumes, a much bigger fear for these kids is being alone at night and being in the dark. With their imaginations at their peak level at this age, they can have a hard time trying to determine what’s real and what’s not. They can start to worry that there’s something scary in the dark that they need to be frightened of.
Ages 6-11
Humans are naturally social creatures, and at this age, kids are starting to worry about fitting in. They don’t want to be rejected by the other children that they know. Along with that, they begin to worry about something bad happening to people that they love since at this age they start to become aware of difficult topics such as death.
Around this time, children can also fear being left home alone. Like younger kids, their imaginations are still running wild and they can begin to worry that something scary is there when they’re alone. They can question their ability to protect themselves if there isn’t an adult at home with them.
Ages 12+
One of the biggest worries for children at this age is how they do in school. They can begin to fear the consequences of failure more and therefore don’t want to get bad grades. Along with their grades in school, they can also become anxious about what their peers think of them. They want to be perceived well by people and impress their friends.
Another big worry for these kids is opening up to people. Although this can be a difficult time in their lives with a lot of emotions, they can be reluctant to share that with people, especially their parents. They do this because they want to keep their independence, as well as not giving people a negative image of them.
Children don’t quite have an understanding of how to cope with their worries. Because of that, they’ll need to guidance and support of a parent, guardian, or close adult to help them. If you have a child that looks up to you, try to be there for them. Understanding what makes them anxious will give you a huge advantage when trying to help them overcome it.
Share this with someone you know who is a parent or has children in their lives who look up to them. Knowing what worries the child in question is having will help them to support them better.
