Psychological support for children with fears and destructive aggressiveness. Corrective work to overcome children's fears in the consultative practice of a child psychologist
Galina Sustretova
Dealing with fears in children
Outline of educational activities
Topic: Work educational psychologist with fears in children senior preschool age in the senior group MB DOU CRR 33
Target: to help older preschool children cope with fears that interfere with their normal emotional well-being and communication with peers, the development of creativity.
Tasks:
Development of attention, imagination and coordination of movements;
Removal of psycho-emotional stress;
Building self-confidence;
Development of emotional and expressive movements;
Withdrawal fear of closed spaces, darkness, state of anxiety;
Development and improvement of communication skills;
Regulation of behavior in the team;
Prevention of aggression.
Materials and equipment: music center, recordings with calm, relaxing and active music, drawings of fairy-tale characters, paper, paints, brushes, tubes for juice, paper napkins and plates (with a blue and yellow bottom, a bedspread, a stick (pomelo, a circle cut out of paper, sports tunnel, arches, candy bag.
Introduction:
The teacher-psychologist informs the children that they will have an interesting, but difficult Work. Before we start the main educational activity, let's tune our body to work.
Work on self-regulation:
Imagine holding a whole lemon in your left hand. Squeeze it hard, try to squeeze all the juice out of it. Then slowly relax. Now take another lemon and squeeze it, try to squeeze it even harder than the previous one, like this very hard and slowly release it. Feel the relaxation. See how good you feel when you are relaxed. Now take the lemon in your other hand and squeeze out all the juice from it, do not leave a single drop. Press very hard. Do the same with another lemon.
Imagine that you have a hard (strong) chewing gum that is difficult to chew. Try to bite her (chew) strongly, strongly, let the neck muscles help you, then relax. Try to bite again, squeeze the gum between your teeth and relax again. The exercise is repeated 2-3 times.
And now an annoying fly arrives, and sit on your nose, try to get rid of it without using your hands. Wrinkle your nose, lift it up, strain it - collect it in wrinkles - relax your whole face. Notice when the nose tenses, the whole face tenses, and when the nose relaxes, the whole face also relaxes.
At the end of self-regulation, children are offered anew "blind face"- children run their hands along the edge of the face; "shape eyebrows"- run your fingertips along the eyebrows; "make eyes"- touch the eyelids with your fingertips, hold your index finger around the eyes, blink your eyes; "putting noses"- spend the index finger from the bridge of the nose down the wings of the nose; "mold ears"- pinch the earlobes, stroke the ears; "sculpt a chin". pronounce chorus: "I am good, kind, beautiful", stroke themselves on the head, face and hug themselves with both hands.
Main part:
The teacher-psychologist invites the children to sit at the tables and draw their own fears.
“Drawing of a blot-monster. Turns on scary music. Children on blank sheets of paper, using the blot method, depict their fears, and then painting on bows, flowers, using tubules for juice, turn terrible a blot in a cheerful and beautiful.
The game "Chants - whispers - silent".
The teacher-psychologist invites children to play and check how attentive they can be.
Instruction: you need to carefully follow the pictures shown by the teacher- psychologist: If you see a portrait of Baba Yaga, you can jump, run and scream, if you see a goldfish, you can only whisper, and if you see a portrait of the beautiful Vasilisa, you need to freeze in place and shut up. The psychologist shows portraits, the children follow the instructions.
After the game, the psychologist shows the children a bird that flew to them to tell them that Baba Yaga is flying here and wants to catch you. The teacher-psychologist invites children to outsmart Baba Yaga.
Exercise-game "Flower"
Calm music is on. The teacher-psychologist invites the children to stand in a circle as close to each other as possible, hold hands, bend over, stretch their hands in a circle down and forward - and here we are a flower bud. We will open up: handles-petals, backs - stems. Slowly we straighten up, smoothly, easily raise our hands up, lean back back, take the handles back to the sides gently, gently. The back is soft, the handles are soft. The breeze blew - we swayed left, right, handles left and right. Only the feet stand firm. Above the body, the whole body is free, soft. And then there is a noise outside the door. Baba Yaga runs into the hall with a broomstick in her hands, looks first to the right, then to the left, looking for children who to grab? Here the Baba Yaga sensed something and began to circle around the flower. We all slowly lean forward together again, the flower has closed, Baba Yaga will not find us. 2 times the bud closes and opens. And Baba Yaga is looking for us, getting angry, jumping. Every now and then it stops, freezes, listens, is about to teach us. Jumping again. Frozen again listening: where is the tramp, where are we hiding? Here Baba Yaga turns to the table, barely moving, moving little, little, afraid to frighten us. Throws herself to a chair, falls to the floor, hands run under chair: "Stop! And there is no one there. Baba Yaga jumps up again, freezes again, sneaks back, backs away. "Groh!"- under another chair, "Stop!"- and there is no one there either (3 times stirring-freezing). Baba Yaga never found anyone. She began to stomp her feet in anger. Nasty kids, here I am! The Baba Yaga dispersed, stamping her feet harder and harder, faster, faster. Now everything is slower and slower. Whoo! - Baba Yaga was tired, fell on a chair, her arms and legs hung like pasta: Baba Yaga is tired of searching and getting angry. She lay down on a chair and whimpered. So you need it, evil Baba Yaga. Psychologist says children: “Guys, look what a Baba Yaga is unfortunate, pathetic and, in my opinion, not at all terrible. Psychologist: “Guys, let's play with her! Baba Yaga, do you agree to play with us? Baba Yaga is delighted with such an offer.
The game "Baba Yaga". Baba Yaga stands in the center of the circle cut out of paper. Children run around and tease: “Baba Yaga is a bone leg. She fell off the stove, broke her leg, went into the garden, frightened the people. I ran to the bathhouse, scared the bunny. Baba Yaga jumps from the circle on one leg and tries "broom" tarnish children. Whoever it touches freezes in place, the game continues until all the children are stained.
The game "Do not rush". Children sit on chairs. At a distance of 5-6 steps from them, a chair is placed on which the Baba Yaga sits. Children take turns coming (do not run) to the chair, go around it and, slowly, return to their place. After everyone goes around the chair, the task is given to walk with their backs.
The game "Who is brave". A sports tunnel is installed on the carpet, large and small arches, which are covered with a blanket from above. Children, getting on all fours, take turns crawling inside these obstacles and returning to the start. At the same time, Baba Yaga is missing children by the legs, clothes, trying to suspend them.
After the game Baba Yaga praises children for their courage, dexterity and gives children "magic candy" that will make the guys brave and strong forever. And the guys, in turn, give Baba Yaga their drawings. Baba Yaga tells the children that all of them fears takes them with him to the forest and the children will never meet them again. Baba Yaga says goodbye and leaves.
Final part:
Relaxation "Journey to the Magical Forest"
The teacher-psychologist offers children after such a difficult work relax. Lie down comfortably, close your eyes and listen to my voice. Breathe slowly and easily. Imagine that you are in a forest where there are many trees, shrubs, all kinds of flowers. In the thick of the forest there is a white stone bench, sit down on it. Listen for sounds. You hear the murmur of a forest spring, the voices of birds, the sound of a woodpecker, the rustling of grasses. Feel smells: the wet earth smells, the wind carries the smell of pines. Remember your feelings, feelings, take them with you when you return from a trip. May they be with you all day long.
ending work, the teacher-psychologist invites the children to take one glass pebble and if they liked playing today, then the pebble is placed in a plate with a yellow bottom, and if they didn’t like it, then with a blue one.
Correction is a special form of psychological and pedagogical activity aimed at creating the most favorable conditions for optimizing the mental development of the child's personality, providing him with special psychological assistance.
At present, the term "psychological correction" is widely and actively used in the practice of both schools and preschool institutions. And meanwhile, having arisen in defectology, it was initially used only in relation to abnormal development. A number of scientists associate the expansion of the scope of this concept with the development of applied child psychology, with new social tasks in relation to the younger generation.
Increasingly, the diagnostic and corrective function is considered to be one of the essential, paramount in the activities of a modern, personality-oriented teacher. The educator implements this function in work with normally developing children (pathopsychologists, defectologists, doctors are engaged in the correction of abnormal development).
D.B. Elkonin subdivided the correction depending on the nature of the diagnosis and focus on the following forms, such as symptomatic and causal. The first is aimed directly at eliminating the symptoms of developmental deviations, the second - at eliminating the causes and sources of these deviations. Both forms of correctional activity are used in the work of a teacher and a practical psychologist. And yet, the priority, especially in the preschool period, of causal correction is obvious, when the main corrective actions are concentrated on the real sources that generate deviations. It is important to keep in mind that outwardly the same symptoms of deviations can have completely different natures, causes, and structures. Therefore, if we want to succeed in corrective activities, we will proceed from the psychological structure of disorders and their genesis.
The subject of correction is most often mental development, emotional and personal sphere, neurotic states and neuroses of the child, interpersonal interactions. The forms of organization of correctional work can be different - lecture-educational, consultative-recommendatory, corrective (group, individual) proper.
Success in corrective activity is largely determined by what provisions and principles are its basis. These include, first of all, the principle of the unity of diagnosis and correction, according to D.B. Elkonin, and I.V. Dubrovina et al., the principle of "normativity" of development, the principle of correction "from top to bottom", the principle of systematic development, the activity principle of correction, the principle of active involvement of parents and other significant persons in the correctional work, as scientists G.V. Burmenskaya, O.A. Karabanova, A.G. Leaders.
Such, in particular, is the "top-down" correction principle put forward by L.S. Vygotsky. It reveals the direction of corrective work. The focus of the teacher, based on this principle, is the "development tomorrow" of the child, and the main content of correctional activities is the creation of the "zone of proximal development" of pupils.
If the goal of the "bottom-up" correction is to exercise and consolidate what the child has already achieved, then the "top-down" correction is of a leading nature and is built as a psychological and pedagogical activity aimed at the timely formation of psychological neoplasms.
Let us single out the activity principle of correction, which determines the very subject of application of corrective actions, the choice of means and ways to achieve the goal. According to this principle, the main direction of correctional work is the purposeful formation of generalized ways of orienting the child in various areas of objective activity and interpersonal interactions, and ultimately, the social situation of development. The very same correctional work should be built not as a simple training of skills and abilities (subject, communicative, etc.), but as a holistic meaningful activity of the child, naturally, organically fitting into the system of his daily life relationships.
The leading activity of children is especially widely used in correctional work. At preschool age, it is a game in its various varieties (plot, didactic, mobile, play-dramatization, directing). It is successfully used both to correct the child's personality, his relationships with others, and to correct the cognitive, emotional, volitional processes of communication. The game is unconditionally recognized as a universal form of correction in the preschool period. The reliance on game motives that are significant for a preschooler in remedial classes makes them especially attractive and contributes to success in correction.
An important place in the correctional work is given to artistic activity. The main directions of corrective influences by means of art:
1) exciting activities;
2) self-disclosure in creativity.
Widely used in correctional work with preschoolers and physical education. At the end of preschool age, emerging new types of activity - educational and labor - can also be used for these purposes.
Components of readiness for correctional work: theoretical (knowledge of the theoretical foundations of correctional work, methods of correction, etc.); practical (knowledge of methods and techniques of correction); personal (psychological elaboration in an adult of his own problems in those areas that he intends to correct in a child).
Correction by drawing. Drawing is a creative act that allows children to feel the joy of accomplishment, the ability to act on a whim, to be themselves, freely expressing their feelings and experiences, dreams and hopes. Drawing, like a game, is not only a reflection of the surrounding reality in the minds of children, but also its modeling, an expression of attitude towards it. Therefore, through drawings, one can better understand the interests of children, their deep, not always disclosed experiences, and take this into account when eliminating fears. Drawing provides a natural opportunity for the development of imagination, flexibility and plasticity of thinking. Indeed, children who love to draw are more imaginative, immediacy in expressing feelings and flexible in their judgments. They can easily imagine themselves in the place of this or that person or character in the drawing and express their attitude towards him, since this happens every time in the process of drawing. The latter just allows you to use drawing for therapeutic purposes. Drawing, the child gives vent to his feelings and experiences, desires and dreams, rebuilds his relationships in various situations and painlessly comes into contact with some frightening, unpleasant and traumatic images.
Just as a live, but weakened vaccine is introduced to develop immunity from infectious diseases, which stimulates the development of healthy, protective forces of the body, so the repeated experience of fear when displayed in the picture leads to a weakening of its traumatic sound.
Identifying himself with positive and strong, self-confident heroes, the child fights evil: he cuts off the head of a dragon, protects loved ones, defeats enemies, etc. There is no place for powerlessness, the inability to stand up for oneself, but there is a sense of strength, heroism, that is fearlessness and ability to resist evil and violence.
Drawing is inseparable from the emotions of pleasure, joy, delight, admiration, even anger, but not fear and sadness.
Drawing, thus, acts as a way of comprehending one's capabilities and the surrounding reality, modeling relationships and expressing emotions, including negative ones. However, this does not mean that an actively drawing child is not afraid of anything, it simply reduces the likelihood of fears, which in itself is of no small importance for his mental development. Unfortunately, some parents consider playing and drawing a frivolous thing and one-sidedly replace them with reading and other intellectually more useful, from their point of view, activities. In fact, both are needed. Children with artistic inclinations, emotional and impressionable, just prone to fears, need more games and drawing. In children who are more rational, prone to analytical, abstract thinking, the proportion of intellectual and rational activities, including computer games and chess, increases. But even with the so-called left-brain orientation, as much variety as possible in games and drawing is necessary to expand the creative range and world of the child's imagination.
The greatest activity in drawing occurs between the ages of 5 and 10, when children draw themselves, at ease and freely, choosing topics and presenting the imaginary as vividly as if it were in reality. In most cases, by the beginning of adolescence, the ability for spontaneous fine art is gradually weakening. The correct form and composition are already consciously sought, doubts arise about the authenticity of the drawing, naturalism in the depiction of objects. Adolescents are even ashamed of their ability to draw the way they want, for fear of looking awkward and ridiculous in the minds of others, and thus deprived of a natural way to express their feelings and desires.
Correction through play therapy. In domestic modern psychology, one of the means of correcting children's fears is play therapy. According to A.Ya. Varga, play therapy is often the only way to help those who have not yet mastered the world of words, adult values and rules, who still looks at the world from the bottom up, but in the world of fantasies and images is the master. G. L. Landreth compared the importance of speech for an adult and play for a child; for a preschooler, play is a natural need that is a condition for the harmonious development of the individual.
According to many researchers, the game is the leading means of psychotherapy in preschool age. At the same time, it also has a diagnostic and educational function. The game, according to its developing potential, according to the final effect, is given a central place in preschool age.
The success of the game correctional impact is based on the dialogic communication between the adult and the child through the acceptance, reflection and verbalization by him of feelings freely expressed in the game. In line with game therapy, free play and directive (controlled) play are used. In free play, the psychologist offers children various play material, provoking regressive, realistic and aggressive types of play. Regressive play involves a return to less mature forms of behavior. Realistic play depends on the objective situation in which the child finds himself, and not on his needs and desires. An aggressive game is a game of violence, war, etc. To organize such games, unstructured and structured game material is used.
The use of unstructured play material (water, sand, clay, plasticine) provides the child with the opportunity to indirectly express their emotions, desires, since the material itself contributes to sublimation.
Structured play material includes: dolls, furniture, bedding (they provoke a desire to take care of someone); weapons (contributes to the expression of aggression); phone, train, cars (contribute to the use of communicative actions). At its core, structured game material contributes to the acquisition of social skills, the assimilation of behavioral patterns.
Correction through fairy tale therapy. In the practice of fairy tale therapy, three variants of dolls are used: puppet dolls (very easy to make, they can be without a face, which gives the child the opportunity to fantasize); finger puppets; shadow theater puppets (used mainly to work with children's fears).
Fairy tale therapists T.D. Zinkevich-Evstigneeva and A.M. Mikhailov note a wide range of effects of dolls on children. As a means of reincarnation, the doll facilitates the process of staging a performance, since not every person, for one reason or another, is able to play on stage. On the other hand, materializing in a doll, fear for the child loses its emotional intensity of characterological traits, the child receives the experience of operational non-directive feedback, he sees and feels the result of his influence on the doll. To one degree or another, the child begins to realize responsibility for the puppet's stage life. Thus, the child sees causal relationships between his actions and the actions of the doll.
The doll, acting as an attribute, embodies the opposite standards of human actions and qualities, which are most vividly represented in fairy tales.
The attractiveness of fairy tales for psychological correction in general and the correction of fears, in particular, lies, first of all, in the naturalness of the development of the storyline, the absence of moralizing. In a figurative form, a child in fairy tales lives through the problems that all of humanity has gone through (separation from parents, the problem of choice, injustice, etc.). And, undoubtedly, the most important thing is that in a fairy tale, evil is always punished, but even bad deeds can be learned from a good lesson.
There are several methods of working with a fairy tale: analysis, storytelling, rewriting, writing new fairy tales.
While working on a fairy tale, the child receives specific ways to deal with his fears, his emotional world is painted with more joyful tones. On the other hand, in a fairy tale, a frightening character or phenomenon may not look like that at all. An example of this is the fairy tale by T. Vershinina "The Sorceress Darkness".
Correction through puppet therapy. Another of the fairly common methods for correcting neurotic fears is considered to be puppet therapy.
At the present stage, dolls are used to solve problems of a psychodiagnostic and psychocorrectional nature. To determine the most appropriate tactics for overcoming fears through playing with dolls, A.I. Zakharov proposes to first observe the child's independent play in natural conditions. After that, you can begin to conduct therapeutic sessions in the playroom. The child is given the opportunity to independently choose toys and materials. For the game, you need to prepare toys in advance that are similar to the object that the preschooler is afraid of, and play out a plot in which he can “deal with” his fear, thereby getting rid of it. The psychological mechanism for eliminating fear is to change roles: when an adult who is not afraid in life and a child who experiences fear behave in the opposite way.
Acting out fear helps to respond to tension, relieve it, and transfer it to the doll. The child is given the opportunity to experience in therapeutically oriented play a sense of his own strength and determination. Therefore, if a child assumes the role of a character that is scary for him in the game and plays a series of play actions with him, then this can sometimes be quite enough to get rid of fear.
Shadow theater puppets are used directly for psycho-correctional work with fears. They are made of black cardboard by cutting or tearing by the children themselves. A thread or stick is attached to the received concrete or abstract embodiment of fear, allowing it to be driven across the screen.
Reviving his fear, playing with it, the child unconsciously captures the fact that he can control his own fear. The child is invited to come up with a story about his fear, to play it. After the end of the performance, the “fear” puppets are destroyed. However, there are situations when a child, having become friends with his doll, does not want to part with it.
In addition to the cathartic effect, the doll can also be educational, for example, in situations of painful medical procedures. It is difficult for children to distinguish medical procedures (injections, blood transfusions, drilling of teeth, etc.) from punishment. This is where pre-playing painful procedures on dolls can help. Such a system was described in the work of A.I. Tashcheva and S.V. Gridneva on the psychological correction of fears in preschoolers.
Correction by improving the parent-child relationship. "Problem", "difficult", "naughty" children, as well as children "with complexes", "downtrodden" or "unhappy", are always the result of improperly developed relationships in the family.
Consequently, “the microenvironment of the family and family upbringing influence the child, the formation of his personality. The emotional state of the child largely depends on the level of the general and psychological and pedagogical culture of parents, their position in life, their attitude towards the child and the problems he has, and the degree of participation of parents in the correctional process.
Therefore, in our opinion, many of the child's difficulties should be resolved through the prism of family relations: by changing the family situation, correcting, first of all, the attitude towards the child, we solve his problem.
Working together with the child's family allows you to create conditions for the disclosure of the personality of the baby, create opportunities for him to express himself, his feelings and emotions; contribute to the enrichment of the emotional world of parents and children; to help increase the self-esteem of children, their acquisition of a sense of their own importance.
Correction through individual-group lessons. Let's dwell on another interesting method of correction. The original method of psychotherapy for children is dramatic psychoelevation. This method was created in 1990 by I. Medvedeva and T. Shishova. It is designed to work with children suffering from neurotic and similar borderline disorders: fears, aggressive behavior, tics, obsessions, logoneurosis, etc. The authors classify this method as an individual-group method, that is, classes are held in groups, but after the second each child receives individual homework. In other words, each child follows an individual program in a group setting. A prerequisite for the application of this method is the active participation of parents.
In some aspects, dramatic psychoelevation has similarities with theatrical techniques such as the psychodrama of Jacob Moreno. The main difference between the methods of dramatic psychoelevation is the predominant reliance on consciousness and superconsciousness. In the process of work, the authors strive to actualize the child's desire to cope with his pathological dominant, "to rise above it" (psycho-elevation - from Latin elevare - to raise, elevate). Another difference is that the method of dramatic psycho-elevation focuses on the characteristics of this particular person who is unable to cope with any situation.
The tactics of this technique is fundamentally different from other psychotherapeutic techniques. In a few words, it can be described as follows: pathological dominant > disadvantage > dignity.
Exceptional importance in this method is given to the metaphorical form of theatrical sketches, since this form is the most effective and least traumatic in working with children. The strongest therapeutic effect is achieved by combining the three components of this method: an imaginary situation, an adequately given topic, and the presence of quite real people as characters, primarily the child himself and his relatives.
The main tool for working on this technique are the attributes of the puppet theater: a screen, rag dolls, masks. They contribute to the self-disclosure of small actors, the "highlighting" of pathological personality traits, the definition of a pathological dominant, that is, they also perform a diagnostic function.
The authors focus on the fact that the theatrical entourage itself and, in particular, the puppets do not have a therapeutic effect. They only contribute to the fact that the child has the opportunity to realize his problem and solve it without mental harm to himself. From our point of view, dramatic psycho-elevation is an integrated method of corrective influence, one of the components of which is fairy tale therapy: in fairy tale therapy and in the method of dramatic psycho-elevation, special attention is paid to preparing for the performance, making dolls by children under the guidance of adults. Bringing his ideas to life, focusing on the details that characterize the character, the child gets the opportunity to directly see the result of his creativity. In addition, the independent production of dolls contributes to the development of motor skills, as well as the ability to plan their actions and focus on a specific result.
Eda LeChamp notes in her book When Your Baby Drives You Crazy: Parents are often reluctant to acknowledge childhood fears because they are afraid to perpetuate them and even encourage new ones. This concern is understandable, but not justified. Assuming that the feeling of fear exists and showing real empathy, this will be the best way to help it disappear. In all the years of my work with parents and children, I do not remember a single case when sympathy and understanding would have increased children's fears.
Fear is a very unpleasant and powerful emotion. Every adult knows this for himself. Therefore, many parents are afraid of the fears of their children (especially if they are not fleeting) and try to save their beloved child from such experiences. Are they right? It is difficult to answer this question unambiguously. So that you can develop one or another attitude towards the fears of your child, let's first consider the functions of fear, its types and causes.
Fear is an emotion that all living beings experience from time to time. So is it really a cruel joke of nature that endowed us with this ability? Of course not. After all, fear has a protective character, it is a direct consequence of the instinct of self-preservation. Imagine for a moment that your child is completely unaware of fear: he boldly climbs onto the roof, puts his fingers in the socket, runs across the road on a busy highway, etc. (and such "fearlessness" does happen with some mental illnesses). Agree, a terrible picture! So before you roll up your sleeves to deal with fears, consider whether there is a natural protective component in your child's fear that it protects him from. If you identify such a factor, then the goal of working with your son or daughter will be not so much the disappearance of fear, but the return of it to the "quantitative framework".
In addition, parents need to be aware of age dynamics of fears . Then they will understand that fears, like other mental manifestations, may reflect the child's achievement of a certain level of development. So, for example, if a child at seven months is afraid of being left without a mother, and at eight months he is afraid of strangers, then you should not fight this, but rejoice, because this indicates his emotional attachment to his mother and the ability to distinguish her from strangers. So parents, on the contrary, should be worried if they do not observe such anxiety in their baby. However, if the child has not “outgrown” such fears even at the age of one and a half, then this may indicate violations of his relationship with his mother or developmental disabilities.
Consider the fears that are typical for the development of children of other age categories (that is, those fears that most children have at this age and are normal, although if you feel their tendency to repeat, then you should immediately work them out with game methods).
One to three years the child may have a fear of unexpected sharp sounds (due to instinct), loneliness, loss of emotional contact with the mother (especially when visiting a nursery), pain, injections and health workers. During this period, children sometimes begin to have terrible dreams (often with fairy-tale characters), so fears of falling asleep may appear.
Aged three to five years possible fears of loneliness, darkness and confined space. Fairy-tale characters, who used to scare a child only in a dream, can now make him fear during the day.
Five to seven years old you can observe the emergence of fear of devils or other representatives of the other world. Like many other fears, it is a kind of the most important, leading fear that appears at this age - the fear of death (of one's own and of one's parents).
At primary school age seven to eleven years old ) the fear of not meeting the requirements of the social environment, of not being the one loved and appreciated by parents, teachers, and peers becomes the leader. Many small “fears” already follow from this global fear: fear of making a mistake, fear of being late for a lesson, etc. In addition, children of this age are characterized by magical thinking, so they begin to fear mysterious phenomena, predictions, superstitions. This is the age of children's horror stories and chilling stories with which the guys are happy to scare each other.
Eleven to sixteen years old , that is, in adolescence, children's fears change, as do developmental tasks. Adolescents are afraid of physical changes happening to them, afraid of not being themselves, afraid of becoming impersonal, afraid of losing power over their feelings. At the same time, they are afraid of loneliness, punishment, rejection by their peers, not being able to cope with their obligations. Natural fears (based on the instinct of self-preservation) also do not disappear. They are transformed into fear of war, fire, disaster, fear of getting sick. Add to this impressive list of previously acquired and not fully overcome fears, and you will feel that adolescence is problematic not only for parents, but also for the children themselves.
The reasons for the emergence of fear can be a variety of circumstances:
Really traumatic experience
received by a child (for example, a dog bite);
- normal growing up
(this is how, for example, the natural fear of death appears);
- disruption of relationship with parents
;
- mental illness
;
- other feelings and desires
who hide behind fear, like behind a mask (for example, a child is afraid to be alone). Such fear can be true, or it can serve as an instrument of influence on parents, control of their lives.
Only a specialist in this field can understand the hidden causes to the end. It is more important for parents to take into account the factors that contribute to the emergence of fears.
Firstly, overprotection . If parents try to protect the child from all troubles, anticipate all difficulties, worry about him, then, accordingly, the child begins to perceive the world as incomprehensible, alien and threatening with dangers.
Secondly, adult conversations about illness and misfortune . If the adults in the family are prone to pessimism and see life primarily as troubles and difficulties (which is expressed in frequent conversations about misfortunes and illnesses, both their own and those of others), then, naturally, they will not teach their child cheerfulness. After all, small children perceive the big world through the prism of the views of their parents, and in this case the resulting image does not bode well.
Thirdly, excessive tension and misunderstanding in the family . If conflicts often arise in the family or tension and misunderstanding between family members are felt, then this directly affects the emotional well-being of the child, including the strength and number of fears that arise. The same applies to the situation of divorce of parents.
Fourth, parents' lack of confidence in their educational actions . If parents behave too gently, all the time doubting the correctness of their actions in relation to their son or daughter, then this also adversely affects his (her) development. For the psychological well-being of children, it is necessary that parents be a kind of fortress that confidently limits the scope of freedom and at the same time it provides protection. Otherwise, the child has internal "limiters" in the form of fears.
Fifth, lack of communication with peers . In children who have the opportunity to play with peers, fears rarely go to the pathological level. This is probably due to the fact that in joint games, children of the same age involuntarily turn to the topic of the most relevant fear for them and thus give vent to their emotions and at the same time receive group support.
So before you start directly working to reduce (or eliminate) the fears of your son or daughter, try to identify all the circumstances that may influence the occurrence of this emotion, and take appropriate measures to change them.
If you have already taken care of this, then you can move on to special ways of working with fears.
Let's make a reservation right away that the game methods given in this article will help you cope with the natural (ordinary) fears of children. If fear is already expressed at a pathological level, that is, it takes extreme forms (the child is completely unable to control it, this emotion adversely affects the character, interferes with normal relationships with other people, does not allow one to adapt well to social conditions, etc.) , then it is better to consult a professional psychologist, and possibly a child psychiatrist.
Generally play (and its counterparts such as drawing and fantasy) gives the child an excellent opportunity to master his fear. In the game, every little coward is able to experience his fear again, as if for fun, and thus reduce the severity of the experience. In the game, nothing prevents the child from imagining that he is brave and strong, capable of defeating any enemy (external or internal). When playing, it is easy to portray the image of fear itself, and then from the "master" of the child, he will gradually turn into his servant (or at least partner). In the game, this fear can be changed by adding bright, warm colors or comic details to the image. You can even make your fear very small and feel sorry for it.
In a word, in dealing with this problem, the game provides a lot of opportunities, and all these methods are completely natural for the child. That is why it is possible to use not even special psycho-corrective games, but folk fun games that do an excellent job of reducing various children's fears and preventing them. You will see this for yourself by analyzing the following few games.
Fifteen
This is an old game that has survived to this day. Perhaps because, in addition to joy, it brings tangible benefits to children, carrying out, one might say, the prevention of fear of attacks, injections and physical punishment.
Arrange chairs and tables around the room. The driver must taunt the player by slapping him on the back or a little lower. At the same time, he does not have the right to reach the player through a chair or other furniture. Try to "stain" the children (or the child) not just symbolically, but by slapping perceptibly.
Note. During the game chase, it is useful (and also fun) for the host to shout out phrases like: "Well, wait a minute!", "You'll get it from me!", "I'll catch up and eat!" - and similar threats, which, of course, are comic, but will help the child get rid of the fear of unexpected impact and fear of punishment in real life.
Zhmurki
As you probably guess, this folk game helps the child cope with the fears of the dark and confined spaces. Its rules are known to everyone, but if you play indoors, then it is better to make some adjustments to them.
Blindfold the child who plays the role of the driver. You can spin it a little to make it more difficult to navigate in space, but this is not recommended for very anxious children and those who experience a strong fear of the dark. After that, the players should disperse in different directions. When the driver shouts: "Freeze!" - they should stop at the places where they ended up and not move anywhere. The task of the driver is to find all the participants. If this process is delayed, then you can help him in this way: all the players who are not caught begin to clap their hands at the same time. In the next horse, the one who was found before everyone else becomes the driver.
Note. So that the game does not become boring, with its subsequent repetitions, you can complicate the conditions by placing barriers in the room from chairs and tables. If you are playing together with a child, then it is better to do it right away, and to maintain the excitement of the game, make sounds from time to time (for example, "Ha!", "Wow!", etc.). The driver’s task will not become more primitive from this (after all, he will not only have to approach you, but do it, bypassing the labyrinth of obstacles).
hide and seek
The corrective value of this folk game is the same as the previous one. At the same time, it helps to cope to some extent with the fear of loneliness, since the hidden child remains alone for some time.
The rules of this traditional game are simple and known to everyone, so we will not dwell on them. But the conditions that make this fun more effective in the fight against fears should be discussed separately.
If your child is afraid of the dark, then you can turn off (or at least initially dim) the light in the room, leave it only in the corridor, where there are no convenient "secret" places. Explain this by saying that it is much more difficult to find a person in a dimly lit room than in a brightly lit one. If a child is driving, try to hide in a dark room so that he is forced to look in there in search of a player. If you yourself are the driver, then try to make the child want to hide in an unlit room. To do this, when you go in search of a child, look into the dark part of the apartment and portray fear and horror that you are afraid and will not go there for anything. Keep thinking out loud that your son (daughter), of course, will never dare to hide there, in general, you don’t need to overcome your fear. Your child will not really torment his beloved dad (mother) like that, forcing him to enter a scary room! Continue to lament in the same spirit. Then after some time your baby will certainly want to "torment" his cowardly parent by hiding in a dark room. After all, children love to fight with other people's shortcomings, and even more so with their parents.
Note. When you find a child in the role of a driver, do not forget to express great joy about the loss found. This emotional reinforcement will come in handy and will reward the baby for the efforts in controlling his own feelings that he made (after all, he had to sit quietly, perhaps in an uncomfortable position, alone in a dark room, or maybe in a closed space such as a closet or bathroom ).
All three of the above games are suitable for children from two years old, and for older ones. Interest in them fades only towards the end of primary school age, that is, they are extremely versatile.
But the games, to the description of which we turn, can be used to work with fears in children of a certain age and level of development. So before applying them, try to match the requirements of a particular game with the individual characteristics of your child.
"Quick Answers to Stupid Questions"
The main feature of this game is speed. Time constraints create a stressful situation (albeit a joke). Therefore, if your child is afraid of not being on time and being late (for example, to school, to classes, on an excursion, to finish tests, etc.), then be sure to periodically play this game with him.
Take the ball. The driver throws the ball to the player and asks various "stupid" questions. When the child has the ball, the driver immediately begins to count out loud: one, two, three. If up to three the player does not answer anything, then he does not count a point. The one with the most points wins.
If you play together with a child, then you can agree on the following condition: the child wins if he scored at least five points out of ten possible, that is, he answered five questions out of ten. Immediately explain to the child that there is no need to look for serious or scientific answers, let him say what comes to mind, the main thing is that the answer fits the topic and is not a clear lie. So, if the driver asks: "Why does the heron have long legs?" - then the player can answer: "So that the stomach does not soak!" or "Because he lives in a swamp." To the question: "How far is it to Mars?" there may be such answers: "No further than from Mars to the Earth", "You can't get there on foot", etc.
Note. This game not only develops the ability to act quickly in a stressful situation, but also contributes to the development of speech, ingenuity and creative thinking.
"Narrative Thread"
Children usually love this game, as it is a joint activity with adults. As you know, the monologue in children is less developed than the dialogue, so they are happy to involve other participants in compiling a common story.
Take a ball of thick thread or braid. Think of the beginning of a story about a child who was afraid of something. For example, this: "The boy Petya lived in the world. He was kind and smart. He had loving parents. Probably, everything with Petya would be fine if it were not for his fears. And he was afraid ..." In these words, pass the ball child, leaving the end of the thread in his hand. The child must continue the story and endow Petya with some fears. Most likely, these will be the fears of the child himself or those that he has long experienced.
Sometimes children come up with completely fearless fears, which makes the story comedy. This is also a good option, because from laughing at small fears to being ironic about your real fears is one step and it will be done over time. The further course of the game assumes that the participant holding the ball logically continues the overall story, influencing the course of the plot. The thread remaining in the hands of the players shows how many circles the ball has described. If there are already too many such thread layers, then try to bring the story to an end (preferably a happy one) on your own. If a happy ending does not work out, then promise the child to continue inventing stories about Petya next time, maybe he will be more lucky in them.
Note. In this game, your child gets the opportunity to openly talk about his fears and other experiences, remaining in perfect safety, because it's not about him, but about coward Petya. You also have complete freedom for creativity and can turn the plot in the right direction, give indirect support to the child (that is, Petya), show that you believe in his strength and circumstances will certainly arise in which Petya will excel, show what he is capable of really.
"Portrait of my fear"
Children often find it difficult to draw their fear. Sometimes this feeling is so strong that it seems simply unthinkable for a child to take and reflect on paper all the horrors that torment his soul. In these cases, he may refuse to draw. Difficulties may also arise for other reasons: if a child is ashamed of his fear, does not want to admit it, let alone advertise it. Such children usually claim that they are not afraid of anything, and offer to draw on a different topic.
Do not be confused by such resistance of the child, this is a manifestation of the natural defense mechanisms of the psyche. You don’t need to break them either, just try to create an atmosphere for the child that is safe for his self-esteem and self-respect. Suggest, for example, to draw something that he was afraid of when he was little. Or let him portray what all children are usually afraid of. If your son or daughter admits their fears, but is afraid to portray them, then you will have to set an example for him (her). Then draw your own fears (which, by the way, is very useful for adults), discuss them with your child. Then next time, maybe he will want to deal with "his dragons."
Suppose that a terrible picture nevertheless appeared at the suggestion of your child. This is already the first stage of overcoming fear, and the young artist coped with it! Do not forget to praise him for this, emphasizing that it takes special courage to draw your fears. Now talk about what is drawn. Be interested in everything: what fear wants, how it can influence the child, where he lives, who can defeat him, who the fear is angry at, what he doesn’t like, what he is for, etc. You can even try to act out a dialogue between a coward and his fear, where both roles (but sitting on different chairs) will be played by the child himself. In the process of this dialogue, you can guess about the internal causes of fear in your child and about its connection with other feelings.
You can complete the portrait of fear in the following way. Tell your child in confidence that you know what all fears are afraid of - they are afraid of becoming a laughingstock! They hate when people make fun of them. Then solemnly condemn the child's fear to ridicule. "Kara" can be done in several ways. For example, to draw funny details on the image of fear - bows, pigtails, ridiculous hats, etc. You can redraw the drawing by making a new plot in which the same fear falls into an absurd situation, for example, falls into a puddle, and is very embarrassed about it.
Note. If, despite all your efforts, the child does not want to draw his own fears, then use the following game. It is suitable for both children who experience too much fear, and children who are ashamed of this emotion and try to cope with it.
"An identikit of fear"
Ask your child if he knows what an identikit is. Surely he heard that this is a portrait of a person drawn by an artist (or created on a computer). Its peculiarity is that the artist himself never saw his character, but painted a portrait from the words of eyewitnesses. Why do we need such portraits? Your child may guess (or know for sure) that they are used, as a rule, in order to find the criminal.
The fear of a child can also be called a criminal, since it interfered with his quiet life (or sweet sleep), for example, last night (or remember another date). But then the troublemaker disappeared (after all, the child does not currently experience acute fear). We need to find it and neutralize it! To do this, imagine that a child comes to the police and writes a statement about the missing wretch. He is asked in detail about all the signs of fear. In the course of the story, an adult (that is, a policeman) draws an identikit. Periodically ask your child something like: "Didn't this fear have a red mustache?" - and in parallel paint on the mustache in the figure. When the child explains to you that there were no such signs, then erase the mustache.
Note. The more funny details you will assume in the image, the better. However, try to keep the seriousness of the game, because in fact you are now influencing the inner world of the child. And only he himself has the right to laugh at his fears. So stay focused "guardian of the law", let your child laugh at what is happening and at your dullness.
"Fear and the Sculptor"
This game will be especially useful for a child if, in the course of previous games and conversations, you noticed that his feeling of fear is associated with other strong feelings, such as anger and anger. Here he will get the opportunity for emotional discharge.
Tell your child a short story that you will then act out. For example, such.
"The sculptor Denny lived in the same city. He was a real master and sought to perpetuate in sculpture everything he saw around him. His collection included completely different images - the most beautiful girls in the city, and weak old men, and evil trolls, who, according to legend, , inhabited the forest outside the city. As soon as he met a new image, he immediately tried to embody it in stone or plaster. But such images became less and less.
And then one day he was sitting, thinking, in his workshop. Twilight was getting darker. The sky was getting dark and ominous. Danny's heart was full of doubts and worries. And suddenly he felt that fear took possession of his heart. He was so strong that he threatened to escalate into horror. Danny got up and wanted to run away, but he realized that he would be even more scared on the street.
They say fear has big eyes. So Denny began to think that in the dark corner of the workshop he sees the shining eyes of a terrible monster. "Who are you?" - barely exhaled frightened Danny. There was a terrible roar in the silence. Then the answer was heard: "I am your fear, great and invincible!" The sculptor was dumbfounded with horror. It looked like he was about to lose consciousness.
But suddenly an interesting thought came into his head - maybe to fashion this fear out of clay? After all, such a terrible image has never been in his collection! Then he plucked up courage and asked: "Mr. Fear, have you ever posed for an artist?" The fear was completely gone. "What?" he asked. "Before you finally take over my mind, let me mold you out of clay so that everyone will be afraid of you and recognize you," the master suggested. The monster did not expect such a turn of events and mumbled: "Well, go ahead, just hurry!" Work has begun. Danny took the clay and set to work. Now he was collected and focused again.
Since it was getting dark, we had to turn on the light. Imagine Danny's surprise when he was able to get a better look at the monster. It wasn't even a monster, but rather a small monster, puny, as if he hadn't eaten in a week. Fear shivered a little at that; he must have guessed Denny's thoughts. And the master shouted at him: "Don't twitch, otherwise the sculpture will come out!" Fear obeyed.
Finally the sculpture was ready. And Danny suddenly realized that he was not at all afraid of this monster, his fear suddenly became not terrible. He looked at the monster huddled in the corner and asked: "Well, what are we going to do?" The Scarecrow also realized that he was no longer afraid of him here. He sniffed and said: "Yes, I'll go, I guess." "Why did you come?" Danny asked. "Yes, it became boring alone!" - answered the monster. So they parted. And Denny's collection was replenished with a new unusual sculpture. Everyone around was surprised at her originality, and Danny looked at his creation and thought that skillful hands and a smart head could cope with not such horrors.
After you tell this legend, talk with the child, find out if he liked it, what surprised him, pleased him, upset him?
If the child is not too tired after that, then you can immediately proceed to the second stage of work - playing out the story. If fatigue is felt, then it is better to do it the next day.
Let the child be the master. Start reading this fairy tale again (it is possible with abbreviations), and the child will try to portray everything he hears about. When you get to the monster spawning in the workshop, try dimming the lights. Then, when the sculpture begins, you turn it back on, and the child will mold out of plasticine the image of fear, as he imagines it.
Note. The description of this game is quite long, but it's worth it. Indeed, here, in a single harmonious action, several ways of influencing the child's psyche are combined in order to eliminate fear. The story itself is a typical psychotherapeutic fairy tale. Pay attention to how the listener's attitude to what is happening changes in it: from the peak climax of fear and drama of the story to ridicule and even sympathy. When a child plays the role of a master in this scene, this is also the use of a psychotherapeutic technique. And finally, he sculpts a sculpture of his fear from plasticine, and this is the third way of correction, when the child creates a visual image of a feeling, gets the opportunity to control and change it. So do not take the time and effort for such complex psychotherapeutic games. By the way, you can also come up with similar simple stories as a plot to repeat the game at another time.
"screen test"
This is a universal game that can be used to solve many problems. Here we will look at how to help a child overcome their fears using this game.
Help your child imagine trying their hand at acting. The screenwriter (that is, you) will now introduce him to the plot of the future film. Then the young artist will try to reproduce the action. If other people besides him should take part in it, then he can either play for them himself, or use dolls or some kind of toys.
But in inventing stories, you have to be creative. It should be based on a story that really happened to the child and caused him fear, or an event that is not in the life experience of your son or daughter, but nevertheless the child is afraid of him. If, for example, your child is afraid of getting lost in a crowded place, then you can play such a scene.
Mom and son (daughter) went to the store. In a huge department store, the mother stared at the window, and the child stopped near the toy she liked. So they lost sight of each other. Mom was very worried about her baby, she began to rush around the store in search of him. At first, the child was also confused, even wanted to cry, but then he thought that this would hardly help him find his mother. Then he approached the seller and said that he was lost. The salesperson asked his name and made an announcement over the speakerphone. "Attention, attention! - said the announcer. - The boy Roma (the girl of Light) has lost his mother and is waiting for her in the jewelry department." An excited woman ran to this department in just a minute. She was in a panic. And what did she see? The kid calmly waited for her, examining the jewelry. She hugged her son (daughter) and burst into tears. The child began to console his mother that nothing terrible had happened, and the seller told her how calmly and boldly her son behaved. Mom was very proud of her child, because he behaved just like an adult.
Let your child play the role, in fact, of himself, and you can act as his absent-minded mother. Then try not to skimp on enthusiasm and a sense of pride in the finale of the story, let the child feel such a reward in the game, so that later he can strive for it in real life.
The same fear of getting lost can be "played out" in a scene where your child will help a lost baby, that is, initially play a hero. You can take a small doll for the role of a crying baby. So your son or daughter will more easily feel responsible for the younger and their advantage in the possibilities of self-control and search for a solution.
You can come up with similar everyday stories yourself to use with your child to deal with his real (not fictional) fears.
Note. With the help of this game, you can also implement the so-called prevention of the problem, since, playing a role in a scene you have invented, the child learns one or another strategy of behavior in a difficult situation. Therefore, if he suddenly finds himself really in it, then it will be easier for him to behave the way he once did, although in a game version.
Children's fears and ways to correct them in preschool children
Shchipitsina Marina Ivanovna, teacher-psychologist, MBDOU "Savinsky Kindergarten", Savino village, Perm region, Karagay district.Material Description: I bring to your attention the games selected for parents to correct children's fears. As a rule, the correction of fears is largely carried out by parents, so parents need to try different methods of working with the fears of their child. The material will be useful to parents of preschool children, educators and psychologists of preschool educational institutions.
Target– Removal of fears in children
Tasks:
1.Develop social trust.
2. Develop inner freedom and looseness.
3. Help in overcoming negative experiences.
Fear is a mental state associated with a pronounced manifestation of asthenic feelings (anxiety, restlessness, etc.) in situations of threat to the biological or social existence of an individual and is aimed at a source of real or imagined danger.
Children's fears are a carefully studied topic by psychologists, doctors, teachers, but not fully studied. Children are afraid of injections and dragons, dogs and the giant who lives under the bed, loud noises and moths...
Causes of children's fears:
traumatic situation, authoritarian behavior of parents, impressionability, suggestibility, stress, illness. Often, children have situational fears due to unexpected touch, too loud sound, falling, etc.
That the child is afraid testifies the following:
- does not fall asleep alone, does not allow to turn off the light;
- often covers ears with palms;
- hides in a corner, behind a closet;
- refuses to participate in outdoor games;
- does not let mom go away from him;
- sleeps restlessly, screams in a dream;
- often asks for hands;
- does not want to meet and play with other children;
- refuses to communicate with unfamiliar adults who come to the house;
- categorically refuses to accept unfamiliar food.
Verbal and artistic exercises
1. Draw your fear.The child is offered to draw his fear on an A4 sheet. When the drawing is ready, ask: “What are we going to do about this fear now?”
2. We come up with a fairy tale.
Together with the children, compose a fairy tale about a magic chest, which contains something that conquers all fears. What could it be? Have the children draw this.
3. Invent and draw a friend.
Ask the child: “What do you think, who is not afraid of anyone or anything?” When the child answers
add: "Let's try to draw him (her)."
4. Rainbow of power.
Draw a rainbow on a sheet of watercolor paper, separate small pieces from pieces of plasticine (primary colors of the spectrum). Invite the child to smear the pieces, repeating aloud: “I am brave”, “I am strong”. “I am brave” - the children repeat, smearing the plasticine with their right hand; “I am strong” - smearing plasticine with your left hand.
5. Where does fear live?
Offer the child several boxes of different sizes, say: "Please make a house for fear and close it tightly."
6. Let's scare fear.
Invite the child to listen and repeat the poem after you:
Fear is afraid of a flying rocket,
Fear is afraid of funny people
Fear is afraid of interesting things!
I smile and the fear disappears
Will never find me again
Fear gets scared and trembles
And run away from me forever!
The child repeats each line, smiles and claps his hands.
7. Throw out fear.
From plasticine, children roll a ball, saying: "I throw out fear." Then the ball is thrown into the trash can.
8. If I were big.
Invite the child to imagine that he has grown up. “How will you drive away fear in children when you (yourself) become an adult?”
9. Letting go of fear.
Inflate balloons, give to the child. Releasing the ball into the sky, repeat; "Balloon, fly away, take fear with you." While the ball flies away, repeat the rhyme.
10. Treat my fear.
Invite the child to listen and repeat the poem after you one line at a time:
Fear is afraid of sunlight
I'll take three kilograms of buns,
Sweets, cakes and cheesecakes,
cookies, chocolate,
Jam, marmalade.
Lemonade and kefir
And cocoa, and marshmallows,
Peaches and oranges
And I'll add blue ink.
Fear will eat it all up
He has a stomach ache.
Cheeks puffed up with fear,
The fear was shattered into pieces.
When the child repeats the poem, ask him to draw a picture for him,
11. We bury fear.
Prepare sand boxes and one large empty box. Blind several flat circles from clay. Ask the child: “What will this fear be called?” (Fear of the dark, fear of noise, fear, “they won’t take me out of the garden”, etc.). When you get an answer, offer to shackle the fear. When all the fears are buried, put the boxes in a large box and invite the child to draw a watchman who will not let the fears out of the box. The box must be hidden in the closet, locked with a key.
12. Magic wand.
Attach a plasticine ball to the tip of the pencil, smear the pencil with glue, wrap with tinsel (rain, foil). Attach beads, beads to the plasticine ball. Put the wand for 5 minutes to “gain magic”. Learn the "spell" against fear:
I can do anything, I'm not afraid of anything
Lion, crocodile, darkness - so be it!
The magic wand helps me
I am the bravest, I know it!
Repeat the "spell" 3 times, circle around yourself with a "magic wand".
13. Finger puppet theater.
Play scenes in which one of the dolls is afraid of everything, while the others help her cope with fear. You should ask children what options to deal with fear they can offer, stimulate, come up with as many options as possible.
14. Let's trample fear.
Spread three sheets of drawing paper on the floor. Pour boy's paints into plastic plates. Invite the child to step into the paint and walk on the paper with words; “Now I will trample fear, I want to become brave!”
15. Invite the child to listen and repeat the poem after you:
Shouting exercise:
I clap (clap your hands)
I stomp (I stomp my feet)
I growl loudly (pronounce "rrrr"),
I drive away fear (wave hands)
16. We come up with a horror story.
You start the story, and the child adds on the sentence. For example: “It was a terrible night ... On
a big dog came out for a walk ... She wanted to bite someone ... ”, etc. The parent must end the horror story funny; “Suddenly, a large bowl of ice cream came down from the sky. The dog wagged its tail, and everyone saw that it was not angry at all, and they gave it a lick of ice cream.
17. We write to the magician Dobrosil.
Draw your fear and write: “Wizard Dobrosil, turn my fear into ... (globe, candy, rainbow, dragonfly ...). Seal letters in envelopes. Bring the answer to the child.
18. We are brave and friendly.
Children stand in a circle, holding hands, and repeat the poem line by line after the psychologist, at the end of each line they raise their hands up.
I'm not afraid of anything with a friend
Neither darkness, nor wolf, nor blizzard,
No vaccinations, no dog
Not a bully boy.
Together with a friend I am stronger
Together with a friend, I am bolder.
We will protect each other
And we will conquer all fears!
Theatrical sketches.
An impromptu screen can be built from 2 chairs and a blanket, the characters are toys.
19. Etude A terrible dream.
A boy or a girl goes to bed, and suddenly ... something terrible appears in a dark corner (providence, a wolf „witch, a robot — it is advisable that your child name the character himself). The "monster" must be portrayed as funny as possible. The child doll is afraid, trembles (all emotions must be greatly exaggerated), and then he or with the help of the mother doll turns on the light. And then it turns out that a terrible monster is just a curtain swaying from the wind, or clothes thrown on a chair, or a flower pot on the window ...
20. Etude Thunderstorm
It takes place in the country or in the village. The child-doll goes to bed and just falls asleep, when suddenly a thunderstorm begins. Thunder rumbles, lightning flashes. Thunder is not difficult to convey, and lightning does not have to be shown, just saying it is enough. By the way, pronunciation (and not just demonstration of events and actions on the screen) in therapeutic studies is extremely important. The child-doll is shaking in horror, chattering his teeth, maybe crying. And then he hears someone whining plaintively and scratching at the door. This is a small, cold and frightened puppy. He wants to enter a warm house, but the door does not give in. The “child” feels sorry for the puppy, but on the other hand, it is scary to open the door to the street. For a while, these two feelings struggle in his soul, then compassion wins. He lets the puppy in, calms him down, takes him to his bed, and the puppy falls asleep peacefully. In this sketch, it is important to emphasize that the “child” feels like a noble protector of the weak. It is advisable to find a small toy dog that is noticeably smaller than a baby doll.
You can play these and similar scenes with your child, and if he refuses at first, make him a spectator. The best thing is when adults become spectators, and the child is the only "actor" who plays different roles in turn.
21. Sketch based on a scene from the cartoon "Kitten named Woof."
Invite the child to "go" to the cartoon "Kitten Named Woof." The kitten climbed into the attic during a thunderstorm and sits there alone, trembling with fear. Everything rumbles around, but he does not run away and even invites his friend - the puppy Sharik - to be afraid together. Discuss the actions of the characters, and then act out the scene.
22. The game "Bee in the dark"
“The bee flew from flower to flower (they use chairs of different heights, cabinets, etc.). When the bee flew to the most beautiful flower with large petals, she ate nectar, drank dew and fell asleep inside the flower (a table is used, under which a child climbs). Night fell imperceptibly, and the petals began to close (the table is covered with cloth). The bee woke up, opened her eyes and saw that it was dark around. She remembered that she had stayed inside the flower and decided to sleep until morning. The sun rose, morning came (matter is removed), and the bee again began to have fun, flying from flower to flower.
The game can be repeated by increasing the density of matter, that is, the degree of darkness.
23. Exercise "Swing".
The child sits in the “fetal” position: he raises his knees and lowers his head to them, his feet are firmly pressed to the floor, his hands are clasped around his knees, his eyes are closed. The adult stands behind, puts his hands on the child's shoulders and carefully begins to slowly rock him. The child should not “cling” to the floor with his feet and open his eyes. You can wear an eye patch. The rhythm is slow, the movements are smooth. Do the exercise for 2-3 minutes.
24. "Tumbler" (for children from 6 years old).
Two adults stand at a distance of a meter facing each other, putting their hands forward. Between them stands a child with closed or blindfolded eyes. He is given a command: “Do not take your feet off the floor and boldly fall back!” The outstretched hands pick up the falling person and direct the fall forward, where the child is again met by the outstretched hands of the adult. Such swaying continues for 2-3 minutes, while the amplitude of swaying may increase. Children with strong fears perform the exercise with their eyes open, the swing amplitude is minimal at first.
25. The game "In the dark hole"
In the room where the child is, as if by mistake, turn off the light for 3-5 minutes. Invite the child to imagine that he fell into the hole to the mole. A firefly hurries to visit him with his magic lantern. The role of a firefly is chosen by a child who is afraid of the dark. "Firefly" with the help of his magic flashlight (use any pre-prepared flashlight) helps the children to reach the illuminated place.
26. Game "Shadow"
Calm music sounds. Children are divided into pairs: one child is a “traveler”, the other is his “shadow”. The “shadow” tries to accurately copy the movements of the “traveler” who walks around the room, makes different movements, suddenly turns, crouches, bends down to “pick a flower”, pick up a “beautiful pebble”, nods his head, jumps on one leg, etc.
Valentina Pizhugiida
Anxiety therapy and its application in the correction of fears of preschool children
INTRODUCTION
In a situation of social instability, a modern child is exposed to many unfavorable factors that can not only slow down the development of the potentialities of the individual, but also reverse the process of its development. Therefore, much attention is paid to the problem fear paid in the works of domestic psychologists and psychotherapists, who note an increase in the number children with various fears, increased excitability and anxiety.
Baby fears to some extent due to age characteristics and are temporary. However, those children fears, which persist for a long time and are hard experienced by the child, speaks of the nervous weakness of the baby, the wrong behavior of the parents, conflict relationships in the family and, in general, are a sign of trouble. Most of the reasons, as psychologists note, lie in the field of family relations, such as connivance, inconsistency in upbringing, negative or too demanding attitude towards the child, which gives rise to anxiety in him and then forms hostility to the world.
The child's psyche is characterized by heightened susceptibility, vulnerability, inability to withstand adverse influences. neurotic fears appear as a result of prolonged and insoluble experiences or acute mental shocks, often against the background of a painful overstrain of nervous processes. Therefore neurotic fears require special attention of psychologists, teachers and parents, since in the presence of such fears the child becomes constrained, tense. His behavior is characterized by passivity, affective isolation develops. In this regard, the issue of early diagnosis of neurotic fears.
Recently, the issues of diagnostics and correction of fears have gained importance due to their rather wide distribution among children. In connection with the foregoing, there is an urgent need for an integrated approach to solving the problem correction of children's fears fears
fears, emotional disturbances are amenable to corrections and pass without consequences children under ten years old. Therefore, it is extremely important to contact a specialist in a timely manner, to take measures to overcome phobias in a child. In this regard, the most relevant for practical psychology and pedagogy is the task of finding the most effective ways to identify and overcome the child's mental ill-being.
CHILDREN FEARS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PEDAGOGICAL LITERATURE
Psychologists of the 20th century saw the cause of anxiety in the development of civilization and the huge flow of information that avalanche falls on a person. Modern psychology considers anxiety as a social phenomenon.
Scientist K. Izard explains the difference between terms « fear» and "anxiety" so way: Anxiety is a combination of some emotions, and fear is just one of them. Russian psychologist A.I. Zakharov believes that fear- this is one of the fundamental human emotions that occurs in response to the action of a threatening stimulus.
A. I. Zakharov notes that fear can develop in humans at any age: y children 1 to 3 years often nocturnal fears, in the 2nd year of life, most often manifests itself fear of unexpected sounds, fear of loneliness, fear of pain(and related fear healthcare workers). At 3 - 5 years for children are characterized by fears of loneliness, darkness and closed space. From 5 - 7 years old becomes the leader fear of death. From 7 to 11 years old, children are most afraid of “not to be someone who is well spoken of, who is respected, appreciated and understood” Each child has certain fears. However, if there are a lot of them, then we can talk about manifestations of anxiety in the character of the child. To date, a definite point of view on the causes of anxiety has not yet been developed.
fears conditionally can be divided into situational and personally conditioned. situational fear occurs in an unusual, extremely dangerous or shocking environment for the child. personality conditioned fear predetermined by human nature, for example his tendency to experience anxiety, and may appear in a new environment or in contact with strangers. And in fear, and anxiety has a common emotional component in the form of feelings of excitement and anxiety, i.e., they reflect the perception of a threat or lack of a sense of security.
Otherwise, the case is children with emotional distress. Them fear, as a rule, is not associated with any objects or situations and manifests itself in the form of anxiety, causeless, pointless fear. If a shy child finds himself in a difficult situation, he begins to behave in an unpredictable way. In this case, the most insignificant objects and situations are fixed by the child, and it is them that he subsequently begins to fear. The stronger the emotional distress of the child, the greater the possibility of situations that cause difficulties in interaction. the child with the outside world.The child becomes less contact, anxious, experiences a variety of persistent fears; he has poor self-esteem. Other children, on the contrary, begin to show aggressive behavior, but the strength and form of their actions may be a completely inadequate response to the situation.
Anxiety is an emotional experience, and anxiety is a psychological feature, a stable property of a person, a characteristic feature for him.
Fear- a mental state that arises on the basis of the instinct of self-preservation as a reaction to a real or imagined danger. Fear has many reasons, both subjective (motivation, emotional-volitional stability, etc.), and objective (features of the situation, complexity of tasks, interference, etc.). The page is shown both at individuals, and at groups, big masses. The degree and forms of its manifestation are varied, but this is the area primarily of individual psychology. There are various forms fear: fright, fear, affective fear is the strongest. Fear, arising from serious emotional distress, may have extreme forms of expression (horror, emotional shock, shock, protracted, difficult to overcome course, complete lack of control by consciousness, adverse effects on character formation, on relationships with others and adaptation to the outside world .
Majority children starting from 3 years old afraid of age: stay alone in a room, apartment; bandit attacks; get sick, get infected; die; death of parents; some people; dad or mom, punishment; fairy-tale characters (Baba Yaga, Koschey, etc., being late for kindergarten; bad dreams; some animals" (wolf, dog, snake, spider, etc.); transport (car, train); natural disaster; height; depths; closed space; water; fire; fire; blood; injections; doctors; pains of unexpected sharp sounds. Average girls have higher fears than boys. Most sensitive to fears children 6-7 years of age.
Since ancient times, psychologists and psychiatrists L. A. Petrovskaya, T. M. Mishina, A. S. Spivakovskaya emphasized that one of the most common causes of children fears is the wrong upbringing of the child in the family, complex family relationships. Thus, representatives of various theoretical trends in psychology and pedagogy agree in recognizing the negative impact of disturbed intra-family relations on the mental development of a child. Among the reasons for the formation and development of various pathological character traits and neurotic symptoms that lie in the family area, there are the following: intra-family conflicts; inadequate educational positions of parents; violation of contact between the child and parents due to the breakup of the family or the long absence of one of the parents; early isolation of the child from the family environment; personal characteristics of parents and some others. Inadequate parental behavior leads to the destruction of emotional contact with the environment, which in domestic psychology is considered as one of the mechanisms for the formation and development of personality anomalies.
It should be noted that anxiety and fear in preschool are not a stable character trait and are relatively reversible with an adequate approach to them by adults. However, the importance of actively working with children fears are due to that in itself fear capable of exerting a pathogenic influence on the development of various spheres of personality. K. D. Ushinsky noted that it was fear capable of provoking a person to a low deed, to disfigure him morally and kill his soul.
In connection with the foregoing, there is an urgent need for an integrated approach to solving the problem correction of children's fears in particular the involvement of the family. This work can be expressed both in familiarizing parents with the results of the study in an acceptable form, and in sending parents for a consultation with a specialist in family issues. Such an approach can affect not only the external aspects of the manifestation fears but also on the circumstances that give rise to it.
The origins of anxiety should be sought in early childhood. Already in the second year of life, it can arise as a result of improper upbringing. As already noted, for children the second year of life is characterized by an exacerbated orienting reaction to novelty. Emotionally negative impressions of early childhood can cause anxiety and the formation of such an undesirable character trait as cowardice. Adults should not provoke fears leading to anxiety. Prevention of anxiety - a sensitive, attentive attitude to the child, the protection of his nervous system.
The little ones children everything is real, therefore, their fears are also real. Baba Yaga is a living creature that lives somewhere nearby, and Uncle is just waiting to take them into a bag if they don’t obey their parents. The objective character of representations only gradually develops when one learns to distinguish sensations, to cope with feelings and to think. abstract - logical. The psychological structure becomes more complex fears along with the coming ability to plan one's actions and anticipate the actions of others, the emergence of the ability to empathize, a sense of shame, guilt, pride and pride.
Egocentric, based on the instinct of self-preservation, fears are supplemented by socially mediated ones that affect the life and well-being of others, first of the parents and caregivers of the child, and then of people outside the sphere of his direct communication. Considered process of differentiation fear in historical and personal aspects - this is the way from fear to anxiety, which can already be discussed in the older preschool age and which, as a socially mediated form fear is of particular importance in school age.
In different civilizations, children in their development experience a number of common fears: in preschool age - fear of separation from mother, fear of animals, darkness, at 6-8 years old - fear of death. This serves as proof of the general laws of development, when the maturing mental structures under the influence of social factors become the basis for the manifestation of the same fears. To what extent will one or the other fear and whether it will be expressed at all depends on the individual characteristics of mental development and the specific social conditions in which the formation of the child's personality takes place.
Fear, anxiety children can cause neuropsychic overload constantly experienced by the mother due to forced or deliberate substitution of family roles (primarily the role of the father). So, boys and girls are more afraid if they consider the mother to be the main one in the family, and not the father. A working and dominant mother in the family is often restless and irritable in her relationship with her children, causing anxiety responses in them. The dominance of the mother also indicates an insufficiently active position and authority of the father in the family, which makes it difficult for boys to communicate with him and increases the possibility of transmitting anxiety from the mother. If boys 5-7 years old in an imaginary game "A family" choose the role not of a father, as most of their peers do, but of a mother, then they have more fears.
WAYS CORRECTION OF CHILDREN'S FEARS
Correction is a special form of psychological and pedagogical activity aimed at creating the most favorable conditions for optimizing the mental development of the child's personality, providing him with special psychological assistance.
Subject corrections most often, mental development, emotional and personal sphere, neurotic states and neuroses of the child, interpersonal interactions act. Organizations may take different forms. corrective work - lecture and educational, consultative and recommendatory, actually corrective(group, individual).
Particularly widespread in corrective the work uses the leading activity children. AT preschool age- This is a game in its various varieties (plot, didactic, mobile, play-dramatization, directing).
important place in corrective work is devoted to artistic activity. Main directions corrective impacts by means art:
1) exciting activities;
2) self-disclosure in creativity.
Correction through drawing. Drawing is a creative act that allows children to feel the joy of accomplishment, the ability to act on a whim, to be themselves, freely expressing their feelings and experiences, dreams and hopes.
By identifying with positive and strong, self-confident characters, the child struggles with evil: cuts off the dragon's head, protects loved ones, defeats enemies, etc. There is no place for impotence, the inability to stand up for oneself, but there is a sense of strength, heroism, that is fearlessness and the ability to resist evil and violence.
Drawing is inseparable from the emotions of pleasure, joy, delight, admiration, even anger, but not fear and sadness.
Correction through play therapy. According to A. Ya. Varg, play therapy is often the only way to help those who have not yet mastered the world of words, adult values and rules, who still looks at the world from the bottom up, but in the world of fantasies and images is the master.
Correction through fairy tale therapy. In the practice of fairy tale therapy, three options are used dolls: puppet dolls (very easy to make, they can be without a face, which gives the child the opportunity to fantasize); finger puppets; shadow theater puppets (used mainly to work with children's fears).
There are several ways to work with fairy tale: analysis, storytelling, rewriting, writing new fairy tales.
Reviving your fear, playing with it, the child unconsciously captures the fact that he can control his own fear. The child is asked to come up with a story about their fear, play it.
Correction through individual and group lessons.
REVIEW OF DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
Baby fears represent a hierarchical structure of various in nature and intensity fears, which are determined by the characteristics of the child's personality, individual experience, attitudes adopted in this society, as well as common to all people age and gender patterns. Speaking of children fears and their manifestation, it is necessary to understand what is considered the norm and what is pathology. In psychology, 29 are allocated fears that children may experience from birth to age 16 age. For preschoolers are characterized by fears of loneliness, death, attack. About childhood neurosis fear you can also speak if the child calls any other fears than those that are characteristic according to A.I. Zakharov for his age and gender. For real fearless the child does not exist, but sometimes fears hit him so hard that he is no longer able to adequately perceive reality. And then there is a pathology in the manifestation child's fears.
Modern psychology divides 29 insurance for the following types: intrusive fears, delusional fears, overvalued fears.
intrusive their fears are: hypsophobia ( fear of heights, claustrophobia (fear of closed spaces agoraphobia (fear of open spaces, sitophobia (fear of eating) etc. Obsessive children's hundreds and thousands of fears; it's impossible to list everything. These fears the child experiences in certain, specific situations, is afraid of the circumstances that may entail them.
delusional fears are fears, the cause of which is simply impossible to find. How, for example, explain why the child is afraid of the chamber pot, refuses to take this or that food (fruits, vegetables or meat, is afraid to put on slippers or tie shoelaces. Delusional fears often indicate serious deviations in the child's psyche, can serve as the beginning of the development of autism. Children with delusional fears can be found in neurosis clinics and hospitals, as this is the most severe form.
fears associated with some ideas (as they say, with "fixed ideas" are called overvalued. Initially, they correspond to some life situation, and then they become so significant that the child can no longer think about anything else. To children's overvalued fears include social fears: fear of people around, fear of answering at the blackboard, stuttering.
Children's overvalued fears considered to be the most widespread, it is with them in 90% of all cases that practicing psychologists encounter. On these children often fear"get stuck", and pulling them out of your own fantasies can sometimes be very difficult. by the most common fear of death. In its purest form, this fear manifested in 6-7 year olds preschoolers, and at older children manifests itself not directly, but indirectly, through other fears. The child understands that death is so sudden, unexpected, unlikely to come, and is afraid to be alone with the threatening space or circumstances that may lead to it. After all, then something unexpected can happen and no one can help him, which means that he can die. To the mediated children's overvalued fear death is possible attributed: fear of the dark(in which the child's imagination settles terrible witches, werewolves and ghosts, fairy-tale characters, as well as fear of getting lost, attacks, water, fire, pain and harsh sounds.
In this regard, the issue of early diagnosis of childhood fears and becomes important, in view of their rather wide distribution among children.
Consider the existing psychodiagnostic methods, in particular, the method of identifying children fears A. I. Zakharova and M. A. Panfilova « Fear in the houses» , the projective technique of A. I. Zakharov "My fears» , as well as a questionnaire for assessing the level of anxiety by G. P. Lavrentieva and T. M. Titarenko and a questionnaire by P. Baker and M. Alvord, a projective method for studying emotional problems and difficulties in family relationships "Family Drawing" V. K. Losevoy and G. T. Khomentauskas, a method for diagnosing an emotional state "Human Silhouette" L. Lebedeva.
Methodology « Fear in the houses» M. A. Panfilova. The author produced a kind of synthesis of two well-known methodologies: modified conversation by A. I. Zakharov and test "Red House, Black House". Modified talk about fears A. I. Zakharova involves the identification and clarification of the prevailing species fears(fear of the dark, loneliness, death, medical fears, etc.. d.). Before helping children overcome fears, it is necessary to find out which they are subject to fear. Explore the full spectrum fears, it is possible with a special survey, subject to emotional contact with the child, trusting relationships and the absence of conflict. O fears you should ask one of the familiar adults or specialists when playing together or having a friendly conversation. Subsequently, the parents themselves to clarify what exactly, and how much the child is afraid.
Conversation is presented as a condition for getting rid of fears through playing and drawing them. start asking about fears according to the proposed list makes sense children under 3 years of age, questions should be understandable in this age. The conversation should be conducted slowly and in detail, listing fears and waiting for an answer"Yes" - "No" or "afraid" - "not afraid". Repeating the question of whether the child is afraid or not is only necessary from time to time. This avoids interference fears, their involuntary suggestion. With the stereotypical denial of all fears are asked to give detailed answers like "not afraid of the dark", but not "No" or "Yes". The adult asking questions sits next to, and not in front of the child, not forgetting to periodically encourage and praise him for telling it like it is. It's better for an adult to list memory fears, only sometimes looking at the list, and not reading it.
The child's cumulative responses are combined into several groups by type. fears, which were formulated by A.I. Zakharov. If the child gives an affirmative answer in three cases out of four or five, then this type fear diagnosed as present. Implementation of this technique (see annex 1) is quite simple and does not require special training.
Projective technique "My fears» A. I. Zakharova. After a preliminary conversation that actualizes the child's memories of what scares him, he is offered a piece of paper and colored pencils. In the process of analysis, attention is drawn to what the child has drawn, as well as to the colors used by him in the process of drawing. At the end of the drawing, the child is asked to talk about what he has depicted, that is, to verbalize his fear. Thus, it is assumed that the child's active discussion of his feelings in a play setting allows internal resources to change direction from protection to a constructive process of personal change. After that, the drawing is crumpled, torn, burned. The American psychologist K. Machover believed that projection is the central mechanism of visual activity. In other words, using the materials of visual activity, a person displays on it the features of his inner world. Therefore, projective techniques are used to identify the most vivid experiences of feeling. fear
Methodology "Human Silhouette" L. Lebedeva diagnoses the emotional state of the child by color choice, according to Max Luscher (see annex 2). Max Luscher's research has shown that the four colors correspond to four types of feelings. A person who prefers blue color is characterized by satisfaction with life, someone who chooses red - cheerfulness, activity, green - a serious attitude to life, stability, light yellow - cheerfulness, openness. Besides, "blue" strive for unity, need agreement, "red" strive for success, the opportunity to influence the environment. Those who prefer green (M. Luscher believes that this color in his test "cold" striving for security and stability (power, knowledge, competence). "Yellow" determined to change, they need the freedom to hope for the best. Time also fits into the framework of these four colors. Calm blue corresponds to the length in time, orange-red - the present, green - the current moment "Here and now", and yellow is the future.
According to M. Luscher, L. N. Sobchik, it is important to pay attention to the color range. The choice of primarily brown, gray, black colors indicates a state of pronounced stress. This may be an objectively super-difficult situation or a neurotic reaction to life's difficulties. Feelings highlight phenomena that have a stable motivational significance.
Drawings of emotions and feelings are, figuratively speaking, a kind of analogue of the non-verbal form of confession, the revelations of which involuntarily become the property of a psychologist. In the context of the interpretation of the figure, it is worth paying attention to exactly where such "speaking" feelings and emotions: as pain, guilt, resentment, anger, humiliation, fear, revenge.
Informative is "emotional content" vital zones: areas of the brain, neck, chest, abdomen. It may indicate problems that bother a person, but for some reason are not yet recognized or consciously suppressed.
Methodology "Family Drawing" G. T. Khomentauskas and V. K. Loseva allows you to track the emotional problems and difficulties of relationships in the child’s family, to see his subjective assessment of his place in the family and relationships with other family members.
G. T. Hometauskas in his work "The use of children's drawings for the study of intra-family relations" He speaks: "Features of graphic presentations of family members express the child's feelings for them, how the child perceives them, what characteristics of family members are significant for him, which are alarming."
The test helps to reveal the child's attitude towards members of his family, how he perceives each of them and his role in the family, as well as those relationships that cause anxiety in him.
The situation in the family, which parents evaluate positively, can be perceived by the child in the opposite way. Having learned how he sees the world around him, his family, parents, himself, you can understand the causes of many problems of the child and effectively help him in solving them.
Order of conduct: from a conversation with a child, which is traditionally carried out after the drawing process itself, it follows to know:
Whose family is depicted by him in the drawing - his own or some friend, or a fictional character;
Where are the depicted characters and what are they doing at the moment;
What gender is each character and what is his role in the family;
Who is the most pleasant and why, who is the happiest and why;
Who is the saddest (the child himself from all the characters) and why;
If everyone gathered for a ride in a car, but there wasn’t enough space for everyone, then which of them would stay at home;
If one of children misbehaving how he will be punished.
The questionnaire of the authors P. Baker and M. Alvord advises to take a closer look at the child and makes it possible to see whether the behavior is characteristic preschooler the following signs, criteria for determining anxiety in child:
1. Constant anxiety.
2. Difficulty, sometimes inability to concentrate on anything.
3. Muscle tension (for example, in the area of the face, neck).
4. Irritability.
5. Sleep disorders.
It can be assumed that the child is anxious if at least one of the criteria listed above is constantly manifested in his behavior.
Questionnaire of G. P. Lavrentieva and T. M. Titarenko (see annex 3) applied in order to identify an anxious child in a peer group.
In kindergarten, children often experience fear separation from parents. It must be remembered that in age two or three years, the presence of this trait is acceptable and understandable. But if a child in the preparatory group constantly cries when parting, does not take his eyes off the window, waiting every second for the appearance of his parents, special attention should be paid to this.
Availability fear separation can be defined by the following criteria, according to psychologists P. Baker and M. Alvord:
1. Recurrent excessive frustration, sadness at parting.
2. Constant excessive worry about the loss, that the adult may feel bad.
3. Constant excessive anxiety that some event will lead him to separation from his family.
4. Permanent refusal to go to kindergarten.
5. Permanent fear of being alone.
6. Permanent fear of falling asleep alone.
7. Constant nightmares in which the child is separated from someone.
8. Constant complaints about malaise: headache, abdominal pain, etc. (children, suffering from separation anxiety, and indeed can get sick if they think a lot about what worries them).
If at least three traits were manifested in the behavior of the child within four weeks, then it can be assumed that the child really has this type fear.
In order to understand the child, to find out what he is afraid of, what he experiences fears, it is necessary to ask parents, educators, teachers to fill out a questionnaire form. The answers of adults will clarify the situation, help to trace the family history. And observation of the behavior of the child will confirm or disprove the assumption. However, before drawing final conclusions, it is necessary to observe the child of concern on different days of the week, during training and free activities (in play, on the street, in communication with other children.
PROGRAM CORRECTION OF CHILDREN'S FEARS
For the program correction of fears in preschool children the most effective are the following methods:
1. art therapy;
2. reading fairy tales, watching cartoons;
3. aromatherapy;
4. communication with nature.
Let's consider each of them separately.
Art therapy includes painting, appliqué, sand therapy (playing in the sandbox, painting with sand on a light table, viewing pictures and illustrations, music therapy.
In art, the child embodies his emotions, feelings, hopes, fears, doubts and conflicts. Through artistic images, the unconscious interacts with consciousness. In kindergarten, she does the following functions: educational, corrective, psychotherapeutic, diagnostic and developing. Techniques and techniques should be selected according to the principle of simplicity and effectiveness. The process of creating an image must be attractive, so non-traditional pictorial techniques are possible. To example, sand painting through a light table or finger painting with paints.
Sand therapy classes under the guidance of a psychologist gives answers to many questions of parents regarding the inner emotional world of their child, allows you to discover and see the true causes of conflicts, fears, and in the future to carry out correction!
The sandbox is an excellent medium for establishing contact with the child. And if he speaks badly and cannot tell an adult about his experiences, then in such games with sand everything becomes possible. Playing an exciting situation with the help of small figures, creating a picture of their sand, the child opens up, and adults get the opportunity to see the inner world of the child at the moment. Once, having visited a sand lesson, children dream of returning again, and most often they don’t want to leave at all.
To organize sand therapy need: sand box (sandbox, sand (regular, but sifted, washed and calcined), water, a collection of miniature figurines.
To organize classes on light tables would need: light tablet / pallet / table - depending on the room (if the equipment is stationary, then you can have light tables, if you have to clean up after class, then it is better to purchase tablets / pallets, quartz sand (you can have several options for colored sand for art therapy).
Sand painting has a number of important aspects, the advantage of which is not given by the classical painting technique. Sand drawing develops fine motor skills, improves memory, plasticity of movements, as well as brain function. Unusually pleasant to the touch sand, makes it possible to truly relax and unwind. It is in this state that stress, internal tension are best relieved, problems go away. Drawing takes place directly with fingers on the sand, which contributes to the development of sensory sensations, liberates and harmonizes, and also contributes to the development of two hemispheres, since drawing is done with two hands.
Corrective The possibilities of musical art in its various combinations in relation to the child are manifested, first of all, in the fact that they act as a source of positive experiences for the child. Music helps to perceive the harmony and disharmony of the world through the sound abstract musical image. According to psychologists, classical music is ideal for a person and his mental state. They say that it is the classics that harmonizes the feelings, emotions and sensations of a person. Classical music "drives away" sadness eliminates stress, fears and depression. good example works can serve Tchaikovsky: "Nutcracker", "Swan Lake", "Seasons", "Sleeping Beauty"; Strauss waltzes "Polka in C Minor"; as well as a symphonic fairy tale by Prokofiev "Peter and the Wolf" and many others.
What are the benefits of fairy tale therapy? It is fairy tales that help kids understand how complex and contradictory the world around them is, what ups and downs can happen in life. Watching the adventures of the heroes, the child assimilates: a person may face injustice, hypocrisy, pain, death, but this is not a reason for despair. Because there is a way out of many difficult situations, and most importantly, there is a place in the world for joy, friendship and love. However, it is not always possible for a child to understand the instructive meaning of fairy tales, so they need to be discussed. Let the kid himself make a conclusion - you should not try to make it coincide with the conclusion of the parents. For this method, the following literature Story by: Gianni Rodari "Chipolinno", Pinocchio, Andersen's fairy tales, Krylov's fables, Pushkin's fairy tales, Dragunsky "Deniska's stories", stories by Nosov, Chukovsky. Also, with interest, children perceive poetry ( for example, Lermontov "Clouds"). Undoubtedly excellent example are Soviet cartoons: "Flying ship", "Swan geese" and many others based on the plots of fairy tales.
Aromatherapy is an effective technique. Essential oils of certain plants contribute to the harmony of the body, mind and soul. The purported therapeutic effect lies in their effect on hormones and other important biochemical species in the body. Children's thoughts and feelings are not subject to logical dissection, there is too much disinterestedness and emotions in them. Get rid of the night fears will help: Myrrh combined with Petit grain. From overexcitation, whims and anger - Ylang-ylang with Valerian. There are a lot of fragrances, in their choice you need to approach individually and apply with caution.
Communication with nature, walks in the fresh air is very important. They are useful not only for health, but also for the moral satisfaction of the child, his psychological state. The child will listen with interest to the sounds of life (the rustle of leaves, the singing of birds, the sound of water, to watch animals and insects.
These methods are more effective in combination. You can combine walking in nature with reading books. Charushin, Bianki, Prishvin described nature in all its manifestations, in all its glory. Similarly, a good addition to fairy tales would be to view paintings of famous artists: Vasnetsov "Alyonushka", "Ivan Tsarevich and the Grey Wolf", Vrubel "The Swan Princess" (see annex 4).
CONCLUSION
So the following can be done conclusions:
1. Fear plays an important role in the life of a child, on the one hand, it can protect against rash and risky actions. On the other hand, positive and sustainable fears interfere with the development of the child's personality, fetter creative energy, contribute to the formation of uncertainty and increased anxiety.
2. fears inevitably accompany the development of the child and the emergence of various emotional disorders, psychological problems associated with a number of adverse events that occurred in childhood.
3. Prevention fears is, first of all, in the education of such qualities as optimism, self-confidence, independence. The child must know what he is supposed to know age, about real dangers and threats, and treat it adequately. Existing ways to reduce and control fear are based primarily on learning theory.
4. Correction of fears is carried out through game therapy, fairy tale therapy, art therapy, puppet therapy, psychoelevation, individual-group sessions, and improvement of parent-child relationships.
5. Drawing is used in corrective purposes. Drawing, the child gives vent to his feelings and experiences, desires and dreams, rebuilds his relationships in various situations and painlessly comes into contact with some frightening, unpleasant and traumatic images.
6. Importance of active corrective work with children's fears due to the fact that in itself fear capable of exerting a pathogenic influence on the development of various spheres of the child's personality.
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