Reading is undoubtedly a good development tool for children of any age. Reading encourages intelligence as well as imagination and creativity. But sometimes parents do not know what topics may be best suited for their little ones.. Although it is true that children must be allowed to choose the topics that attract their attention or that are of interest, As a parent you may feel doubts when perhaps your child wants to read scary stories.
Scary stories can have advantages and disadvantages and it will depend on the personality of your children whether or not you really allow them to read scary stories. Maybe you prefer to allow them to read scary books only at one time of the year, such as Halloween or maybe you prefer not to prohibit this type of literature so that they can enjoy this genre if they also like it ... As long as you take into account their age, their mental maturity and whether or not they are really prepared to read scary tales.
Your child may ask you to read scary stories, but you may find it too scary for your children's age. You may even worry that the evil characters in the story are sending the wrong message to your child and that the values that the stories should theoretically convey are somewhat distorted. All this can make you not allow your children to read scary stories where there are witches or monsters, in the hope that your children sleep without nightmares forever.
But scary tales can serve an important purpose. The meaning and importance of fairy tales are important to children, but scary stories can entertain children and also help their development during the different stages that children go through.
What scary stories bring to your children
It is natural that children of different ages can worry about things that may not be important to you. They may worry about starting school, missing out, or dying. There is nothing more terrifying for a child than to be separated from their parents or to have their parents die. Instead of instilling these fears in children, the stories help children to face the fears they probably already have and something better: to overcome them.
An example can be the story of Hansel and Gretel. Children who read this story can explore their emotions in relation to abandonment, while at the same time they can experience the vicarious emotion of fending for themselves and emerging victorious from the adverse situation. This story is particularly meaningful for children who are around 5 years old, because that is when they begin to understand the world more realistically and need the reassurance that they will be fine.
Other stories help children fight negative impulses, such as greed and envy. In Cinderella, for example, evil stepsisters can embody their own feelings of rivalry that children may also feel with their siblings, thus allowing the story to become a setting for an internal struggle against envy or jealousy.
When children read or listen to fairy tales, they project the good parts of themselves onto the hero or heroine and the bad parts onto the witch or antagonist figure. So each time the witch dies, she magically restores the children's faith in their ability to conquer their own negative emotions and take their own self-control.
Are there stories that are too violent for children?
Obviously, there are also books or stories that are too violent or too scary and they are not a good idea to let children see, as is the case with some movies. For example, for 8-year-olds, books like Harry Potter can be a good idea since they have a lot of morality where evil is punished and must be fought, but for younger children they can be too ambiguous. But in tales or stories where violence is gratuitous and evil sometimes wins, children are left with that terrifying feeling and fear continues in their bodies, something that could undoubtedly negatively affect their emotions.
Similarly, not all children enjoy scary stories. Children can usually feel less fear reading horror stories than watching a scary movie. One reason is that books are less graphic and can create less gloomy hues in your imagination. Also, if children read these stories with their parents, they will feel more secure than if they read them alone in their bedroom.
What if a book has caused too much fear?
The books can be controlled and if the story starts to be scarier than usual or there are parts that are too scary, just close the book. Children can be in control of the story they are reading and when you feel that something is not going too well or that you are too scared, then the best thing is, without a doubt, to close the book.
It is clear that a child will not end his fears through reading, but with a work of values and family support, the fears can almost magically disappear. But if you see that your child is reading a scary book and begins to have nightmares, then it will be time to find another kind of topic to read before going to bed. What is read before going to bed can influence children's dreams, so before reading a story before going to bed it is better to read one with a more cheerful or calm theme and leave the scary books for someone else time of day. Do your children like scary stories? Do you allow them to read it? Remember that even if you allow them to read scary stories, you must take into account their age and maturity to allow them some stories and not others.