It is winter season and rainy days are common. Storm, thunder and lightning make your child hide under his bed, cover his head with his sheet, close his ears and start to cry. Fear is a normal part of your child development. Astraphobia is very common in children. Usually it disappears while growing. It can be diagnosed as a medical condition if it persists at an older age. In all cases, if your child develops a fear from thunder and lightning you should follow the below steps to ease his anxiety.
You should be calm during a storm. Your child can sense your fear. Act as normal as you can.
Find a distraction for your child. Tell him a story about angels playing in the sky and blowing lights. Distract your child with a board game.
Explain to your child how thunder and lightning are formed and how to stay safe from them.
Explain that light is faster than sound. This is why we see the light before hearing the thunder.
Sit with him on a chair next to a window and try to reflect on the view outside. Trees bending from the wind, lightning, rain… You can invent any story related to the scene.
Play the game of counting. When lightning occurs start to count until you hear the thunder. This number divided by 5 will give you the approximate distance in miles of how far the lightning was.
How to teach your kids to stay safe during a storm?
Explain to your child all necessary measurements that he has to take in case he was outside during a storm:
Get out of a pool, lake or sea. Water is a good conductor of electricity.
Always seek for a shelter. If you cannot find one, stay in the car.
Don’t stand near tall trees or buildings. Lightning is more likely to hit something tall.
Don’t stand near electrical poles.
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