Well, now that Spring has arrived so have all the flying and crawly bugs. Unfortunately, my children (with the exeption of my 1-year-old) completely freak if they even see a bumble bee, fly, spider, gnat, etc!!!! The insect could be 10 feet away and they are running into the house screaming. After much education and explaining, they can now tolerate ants! The bigger problem is that we have planned a family camping trip for the end of June and obviously the bugs will be out in force. I'm completely at a loss as to what to do...this is the first year any of them have expressed any fear of bugs at all and there have been no major incidents involving bugs in the past year that I could think of. I believe in the trickle-down effect when you have more than one child...it just takes one child to be scared of something and the rest jump on the band wagon but I'm not sure who the ring-leader is in this instance (not that it makes a difference at this point). Any advice in helping them get over this fear would be helpful!
Think there is a museum for little kids about bugs called insectarium?
Go on a bug hunt with magnifying glasses and nets.
My 7 year old is afraid of bugs too. We just went camping and took a bottle of bug spray to spray in the tent and on her clothes. She wasn't as freaked out knowing she had bug spray on. Of course when she sees a bee 50 feet away she takes off! As everyone else suggested, try to do research with them and let them see they aren't so scary. Also, get a bug kit with net and magnifying glass. It may help and take it camping so they can look for bugs not run from them!
Good luck
Get books out of the library that are fun and have a bug party week were you learn about bugs and how they help us. Make bug attenaes and things out of paper. You can make butterfly pictures from paint splogdes on one side of the paper and thehn fold it in half. Then when you see a bug you can tell them all about it. I personally hate bugs but my husband is a big nature lover and he will tell the kids about the bug he sees and what it does. He is so calm when he does it and his knowledge of them is so ingrained that it is a great way for him top bond with hte kids. It has also calmed my fearsa and although I"m not about to go hold a bug I can tolerate standing next to one and pionting it out to the kids!
I'm not sure what really worked for me. My son is about to turn 3 and since it got warm and we're playing outside, he says he's scared of bugs. The sight of one really far away would send him screaming and crying into the house, refusing to come back out until much later, if not the next day! At first I tried explaining that the bugs are really small and they're afraid of him. After going back and forth and kind of laying into him when he would start crying, he's actuallly gotten over it now. Now when we're outside he'll point out the bugs, and make an "icky" face towards them, but that's it. Maybe over a couple of weeks of explaining that you won't let the bugs hurt them, etc. and realizing that the bugs aren't going to hurt them they'll slowly get over it! You could also spray them with bug spray....telling them that the bugs can't touch them if they have that on! Good luck!
Hi T.,
Maybe if you tried making bugs into something really neat it would help. Like talk about how cool it is that bees can fly and wouldn't you like to fly, etc. Bees help the flowers grow and they can make honey. Sometimes the more we understand things, the less scary they seem. Ask them if they know that ants can carry 100 times (or whatever it is) their own weight. That would be like you (child) carrying our refrigerator! Or make something up like that. Who knows? It could work! Good luck :0) p.s. Denise P's idea of a bug observation kit is a great one. They make nets and magnifying glasses, etc.
Hi T.,
I had to laugh when I read your message because my oldest is exactly the same way about bugs! She is 8 now, and I am happy to say it is getting better. But every springsince she was about 15 months old she would scream and cry and panic around any bugs, especially the flying kind. It was getting unbearable, but then, would you believe her school has a science program focusing on bugs. It has helped so much. For the last two years (1st & 2nd grade), she has helped take care of bugs in the science room and it has really made a difference. I just consented to her bring home the "pet" mealworms she had in class. She's named all three and is very attached to them, of course. I'd suggest starting your own science class with real "bugs" - the non-flying ones at first - and getting books out to read and draw pictures, along with some containers to keep them in outside. Worms and potato bugs are great, non-scary things to start with. My daughter still has a hard time with the bees and wasps, but then again, so do I! At least she'll go outside and play now, and it's even early in the season. Good luck and have fun!
Best wishes from our family to yours.
I just want to thank you for posting this. My daughter who is 3 does not like bugs at all. She was in a wedding when she was 2 and isn't in any of the bridal party pics because they were taken outside in July and, in case you didn't guess already, there were bugs everywhere. Hopefully some of the tips you get can help me out!
Hi T.
my gosh...my son is 3 and he just started freaking out over bugs too. I am not sure what to do...I tell him bugs are his friends but that doesn't work??? I am in the same boat as you and if you get some feedback please let me know.
L. Good Luck
Hi T., boy can I relate!
My two boys (seven and four) are also freaked out by bugs but for my seven year old it relates to a stinging two summers ago and my four year old has a fear of spiders. It has gotten to the point that they don't want to play outside (but I make them anyway!). Lately, I have noticed that the way that I respond to bugs inside the house has made a slight difference. Instead of squashing them, I rescue them by trying to catch and release them outside (except mosquitoes!). Then we research the bug and talk about it's benefits or why we stay away. I also keep a small broom near their swing set to get rid of any spider webs that may have formed overnight, this helps my four year old a lot.
I've noticed that my four year old came up with his own little mantra "Bees can't hurt me if I'm nice to them". Not sure where he picked that up but it helps him to sooth himself if he hears a buzzing sound. We have had a LOT of bees this year so we looked them up to learn their habits. For example, we learned that carpenter bees are solitary, meaning that if you see one go in a hole, there isn't a hive of bees in there, just one. My husband and I also took steps such as filling up holes in the outside furniture and in other places we thought might potentially become a home.
I think that the more they know about bugs the more they can conquer the fear. I'm even thinking about ordering some bugs from Insectlore so we can see the life cycle this summer. Well, good luck and I hope this helps!
C.
T.,
Wish I had some good advice for you--my son (5) is a bug fanatic. He has a well-loved stuffed ladybug that he cannot sleep without--since the day his little hand could grasp. How about the movie A Bug's Life? Or a Max Lucado's Hermie/Wormie movie? The bug characters are so cute they might end up liking bugs!
There are some really cute bug gathering/bug observing toys out there--maybe they'd enjoy going on a bug hunt? You could make a list of fly, ladybug, ant & check each O. off the list as they gather them up for observation.
My son was freaking out a little about seeing bees but I keep telling him that if you leave them alone, they leave you alone! Good luck.
My best advice is to buy a "bug house" for the bugs that can be caught and enjoyed. FYI, If your child or you gets stung by a bee, tape a penny to the sting area for 15 minutes, you won't see anything later.
