I wanted to share a few ideas on how to help children overcome nightmares. Children have such active imaginations--so here are some tips when you need to combat nightmares, monsters, witches, and all things that go bump in the night.
Dream Catchers
Dream catchers can help your children forget about the nightmares they had during the night. First, hang a dream catcher over your children's bed. When they are dreaming at night, all the good dreams they have will escape and pass through the holes in the web. But the bad dreams they have don't know how to pass through the web and get captured in the web (just like in a spider's web). In the morning, when the sun light shines through the window and onto the dream catcher (or when you turn on the light, if you have no windows), the light destroys all of the bad dreams.
Dream Catchers
Dream catchers can help your children forget about the nightmares they had during the night. First, hang a dream catcher over your children's bed. When they are dreaming at night, all the good dreams they have will escape and pass through the holes in the web. But the bad dreams they have don't know how to pass through the web and get captured in the web (just like in a spider's web). In the morning, when the sun light shines through the window and onto the dream catcher (or when you turn on the light, if you have no windows), the light destroys all of the bad dreams.
To get your kids more involved, make a dream catcher as a craft. Recently I had my children make dream catchers and they turned out so cute. I searched online for ideas and found this website that I liked: thatartististwoman.org.
On this website, she has all of the instructions for making a dream catcher. Basically you use a lid from a container (like sour cream). Cut out the middle. Wrap the outside with
yarn. Then use string to make the web inside, including one bead for the
spider. There are even simpler ideas as well using a paper plate, punching
holes around the outside and string yarn through. Any kind of dream catcher will work just as well on dreams.
Monster spray
Buy a can
of air freshener that is used only for monsters at night. Before bed
every night you or your child can use the monster spray in the closet, under the bed, and
around the room.
Night light/flashlight
Keep a night light in your children's rooms at night. Also let them have a small flash light near their bed that they can use at any time. When they get scared they can shine it around the room and they don't need to be afraid of the dark.
Read books
Night light/flashlight
Keep a night light in your children's rooms at night. Also let them have a small flash light near their bed that they can use at any time. When they get scared they can shine it around the room and they don't need to be afraid of the dark.
Read books
There are a lot of children's books that can help children cope with their bad dreams. Some good nightmare books to read are:
There's an Alligator Under My Bed by Mercer Mayer
There's a Nightmare in My Closet by Mercer Mayer
There's Something in My Attic by Mercer Mayer
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Berentein Bears And the Bad Dream by Jan and Stan Berenstein
Sing a lullaby
Berentein Bears And the Bad Dream by Jan and Stan Berenstein
Sing a lullaby
Sing songs that comfort and relax your children before they go to sleep. Or you can turn on a quiet CD in your children's rooms to help them get to sleep. The children should be asleep by the time the CD is done and stops playing.
Just love your children and comfort them as needed
Just love your children and comfort them as needed
This advice is basic but definitely the most important thing to remember when calming your children's fears.
Prayer
Never underestimate the power of prayer. Prayer will help bring comfort for your children and peace to your home.
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