How to Help a Child Overcome Fear of Bugs

For some kids, bugs can be fun and interesting. For others, they are just a bit too creepy-crawly for comfort! As noted by the Chicago Tribune, sometimes the best and only remedy for a fear of bugs is patience and time. But luckily, there are a few steps you can take to help speed up the process. Take advantage of your local library or the Internet to help your child learn more about these creatures, create some art projects and do some investigative observation. Bugs might turn out to be pretty cool after all.

Things You'll Need

  • Computer
  • Books
  • Art supplies
  • Jar
  • Leaves, twigs, soil or grass

Instructions

    • 1

      Help your child feel more comfortable about the general subject of bugs through conversation. Encourage your child to ask questions about them and explain why they make her nervous. Together, list places you've seen bugs and what they've looked liked. Describe what you each think is creepy about them.

    • 2

      Research to learn about bugs, because the unknown is often scary. Define the word bug and find out the difference between bugs and insects (a bug is a type of insect that has a straw-like mouth used to suck). Look up the answers to your child's questions online or go to the library and take out fiction and/or nonfiction books. Knowing more about these creatures can help your child feel more relaxed around them.

    • 3

      Look at pictures of bugs on websites like National Geographic Kids. Draw and color some bugs together, and help your child notice features that make bugs more interesting to look at than scary. Develop some bug art projects with materials like colored paper, crayons, markers, glitter glue and googly eyes, so she can create "pretty" or unique bugs that don't seem as intimidating.

    • 4

      Play some bug games. Find board games with bug characters or try out bug video or computer games such as Discovery Kids Puterbugs. Games can help your child associate bugs with fun times.

    • 5

      Study bugs in their natural habitat. Take a nature walk and look for bugs on the ground, or on plants or trees. Watch how they move and what they do. Compare bugs to each other. Spending time closer to bugs with a safe adult at her side should help ease your child's fear.

    • 6

      Encourage your child to study a bug more closely in a safe environment where it cannot make direct contact with her. Capture a bug in a jar with some grass, leaves, soil or twigs for a brief time. Not all insects are bugs, and you may be more likely to find an insect, which will be close enough. Let your child name the creature. Keep it in the jar for a short time, and help your child make observations about its movements and behavior. Ask your child to join you in releasing it back to its natural home.

    2. Previous:

    Next:

    • How to Avoid Power Struggles With Autistic Children
      While autism can magnify and intensify a minor tantrum, escalating it into a major battle, it is possible to avert such a situation. By understanding how autism impacts your child, giving him tools to express himself and using effective strategies fo
    • How to Parent ADHD Children
      Parenting is a challenging job. When you are parenting a child with ADHD, or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, that job becomes even more of a challenge. Many times you cant get your child to sit long enough to listen to what you are saying.
    • Top 10 Places Your Kids Hide Things
      Most children relish the chance to be independent and many children exert that independence by hiding things. Younger children might hide a favorite toy from siblings and older children might hide notes from the opposite sex. While you should certain