Under: Most Popular Articles, Child Anxiety/By: Natasha Daniels

Childhood Fears by Age

As children grow they have different worries and fears. There are common childhood fears that tend to coincide with different stages of development. Below are the most common childhood fears by age.

As with most things – this list isn’t exhaustive
and some children will have different fears – or will have a fear outside of the common age range.

Childhood Fears for AGES: 2-4 years old

Fears around the potty and potty training are common at this age. Read Why I am Afraid to Go Potty for tips on how to conquer this fear.

Worried it will hurt to poop
Worried they will fall into the potty
Worried about the sound of the toilet flushing
Worried about bugs coming out of toilet
Worried about getting poop on their hands
Fear of the dark
Fear of closets
Fear of sleeping alone
Fear of thunder
Fear of shadows

Fear of loud noises (vacuum, garbage disposal, garbage truck, fireworks etc.)
Fear of sudden, loud noises
Fear of being separated from a parent
Fear of slides, bounce houses and rope ladders
Fear of people in costumes or wearing masks
Fear of bugs, dogs, birds and other animals
Fear of strangers
Fear of TV shows – even kid’s tv shows with scary themes
Fear of escalators
Fear of getting lost
Fear of water, the bath and/or pools

Childhood Fears for AGES 5-7 years old

Toileting fears can continue at this stage of development:

Worried the toilet will overflow
Worried about bugs coming out of the toilet
Worried it will hurt to poop

Fear of the dark
Fear of what might be under the bed
Fear of monsters, zombies and dinosaurs
Fear of ghosts and the supernatural
Fear of closets and dark cracks (when door is ajar)
Fear of TV shows that are scary
Fear of weather changes (storms, lightening, earthquakes, tornadoes etc.)
Fear of being separated from parent

Fear of teachers who yell or show disappointment in them
Fear of tests (timed math tests, spelling tests etc.)
Fear of peers not liking them
Fear of doctors, dentists, shots and other medical procedures
Fear of escalators and/or elevators
Fear of water and pools
Fear of sudden, loud noises
Fear of bugs, animals and insects

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Childhood fears for AGES: 8-11 years old

Fear of dark (this one never seems to go away!)
Fear of closet and dark cracks (when door is ajar)
Fear of ghosts, poltergeists and evil spirits
Fear of bad guys and being hurt or kidnapped
Fear of being home alone
Fear of 5 nights at Freddy’s
Fear of Annabelle, Chucky and other horror movie dolls

Fear of the Bloody Mary folklore – which tends to manifest as a fear of the bathroom
Fear something bad will happen to their parent(s) when they’re not with them
Fear of dying and of loved ones dying
Fear of illness, disease and mystery aches and pains
Fear of school failure (even when they are getting good grades)

Fear of taking tests and doing presentations
Fear of throwing up in public or at school
Fear of being ridiculed by peers
Fear of having no friends
Fear of teachers who yell or show disappointment in them

Fear of disappointing parents
Fear of germs and getting sick
Fear of doctors, dentists, shots and other medical procedures

Fear of some TV shows
Fear of bugs, animals and insects
Fear of heights
Fear of amusement park rides
Fear of elevators
Fear of storms and natural disasters

Childhood fears for AGES: 12-18 years old

Fear of dark (as usual)
Fear of ghosts, poltergeists and evil spirits
Fear of bad guys breaking in, killing them, kidnapping them
Fear that someone is watching them (through window)
Fear of being home alone

Fear of Internet characters like Slender man
Fear of dying and of loved ones dying
Fear something bad will happen to their parent(s) when they’re not with them (car accident etc.)
Fear of disappointing parents
Fear of illness, disease, mystery aches and pains
Fear of throwing up in public or at school
Fear of germs and getting sick
Fear of getting poisoned
Fear of doctors, dentists, shots and other medical procedures
Fear of failure in school (even if they get good grades) or in sports

Fear of taking tests
Fear of school presentations
Fear of being ridiculed by peers
Fear of having no friends
Fear of getting fat, having acne or other image-related worries
Fear of flying
Fear of heights
Fear of amusement park rides
Fear of a fire
Fear of asteroids hitting the earth
Fear of war and terroristic attacks
Fear of weather changes and natural disasters
Fear of being homeless in the future
Fear of car accidents
Fear of school shootings or other mass shootings

Having some fears during each developmental stage is normal. However, if your child is immobilized by fears or it is impeding their daily functioning – it would be a good idea to talk to your pediatrician or a child therapist.

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Additional Support

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