Is your child scared of fireworks and you’re looking for some help or advice? Whether you’re welcoming in the New Year or the Lunar New Year, celebrating Bonfire Night or Diwali, these celebrations can often go off with a pop and a (very loud) bang. So read on for 12 ideas of how to help your children get through the night.
How To Help Your Child If You’re Planning To Watch Some Fireworks:
1. Watch Fireworks From The Window
If your child is scared, it’s totally OK for them (and you) to stay indoors and watch from a window. In fact, this can be a great way of watching fireworks with children as the bangs are muffled and they get all the excitement of the colours streaming and bursting through the air.
2. Stand Well Back
Watching fireworks from a distance can seem and feel less scary, so if it helps your child, feel free to linger at the back (or go several streets away), so your child is in their own comfort zone. They may enjoy watching the colours and patterns in the sky without the surprise of the big bangs. Here’s a Peppa Pig episode where she finds fireworks too loud and tries to work out how to enjoy them.
3. Get Some Headphones
If you are planning to take your child outdoors to an organised display, why not invest in some noise-cancelling headphones or earmuffs? For some children, these can be enough to dull the sounds and give them confidence when out and about. Or with headphones, you can plug into an MP3 player like an iPod or similar, and have some background music for your child to take the edge off the noise.
4. Keep Fireworks Child-Friendly
If you’re planning on celebrating with friends or family and you’re avoiding large crowds, try to plan for low-key garden fireworks which are reduced noise and can be watched from a downstairs window – where the children can feel and be safe. Always follow safety instructions for fireworks and age-related safety guidance around sparklers (don’t give to under 5s). Glo-sticks can be a really good alternative.
5. Look For Neurodivergent-Friendly Resources And Firework Displays
With more awareness of neurodivergence and children with sensory issues being sensitive to different noises, many places are trying to cater for this.
Check out this information about supporting neurodivergent children on Bonfire Night (and other occasions where there might be fireworks). It features ideas on how to help prepare your children for what to expect, links to videos of fireworks with the bangs replaced with soothing music and other great resources about how to keep safe around fireworks. You could watch this Peppa Pig episode with younger children so they know what to expect.
6. Watch Fireworks On TV
Watching an organised display on the TV (like the one at New Year if they’re still awake) with the sound turned down, can help children get used to the idea of fireworks and the sort of noise they make.
7. Skip The Fireworks Completely/Wait Until They’re Older
If you have a child who is genuinely scared of fireworks and nothing seems to work, try leaving it for a few years. They may express an interest in fireworks when they’re a bit older and be happier to either watch from a window or attend an organised display.
How To Help Your Child If You’re Planning To Avoid Fireworks:
8. Look After A Pet
Many dogs and cats are scared of fireworks, so you could involve your child in looking after a family pet indoors. If your child can help reassure an animal, this should help them with verbalising their own fears.
9. Get Crafty With A Firework Poster
The process of making a poster might help your child understand more about what fireworks are and what they do. You might even find your child verbalises why they find them scary. You can still have fun with your child without the bangs and pops. Check out our easy firework painting and model ideas as well as some footprint rockets.
10. Join In With The Bangs
If you’re trying to avoid anything firework-related because your child is scared, but you can still hear fireworks in the neighbourhood (or your child wakes up at midnight at New Year), try a bit of noise-making. You can try getting your child to clap, shout ‘bang’ or ‘boom’ along with the fireworks (if you can see them from a window that can help predict when the bangs are coming).
If that doesn’t work, playing some music, an audiobook, or telling a story (and ignoring the fireworks completely – unless you want to make up a story about a child who is afraid and tries to tackle their fear), may help distract some children. Or you could try reading a story with the facts about why people set off fireworks.
11. Watch A Film/Have A Treat
Maybe your child is always asking for a ‘movie night’, so this could be a good time to do something they really want to do. Whether that’s a trip to the cinema or a film at home with popcorn and a friend, this can be an afternoon or evening they start to look forward to (despite the fireworks outside).
12. Make Your Own Traditions
There are many traditions associated with New Year, Lunar New Year and Bonfire Night which you can adapt to suit your child and family. Maybe your child is a big fan of toffee apples or other Bonfire Night treats. Maybe they love crafting, drawing or making paper lanterns. Some families like to see out the New Year with a jigsaw puzzle or family game. Whatever it is, there’s no pressure to do anything you or your child doesn’t want to do. What new traditions can you create without watching fireworks?
Is It Normal For A 3-Year-Old To Be Scared Of Fireworks?
It’s totally normal for your three-year-old to be scared of fireworks. Fireworks involve gunpowder and explosions after all! Some of the bigger displays can be loud and really quite scary, even for adults, while some of the so-called ‘garden’ fireworks can feature loud rockets and whistling/screeching fireworks. If your little one is frightened of fireworks, don’t fear judgement or worry that your little one isn’t out of the ordinary. It’s completely fine.
How Do You Keep A Baby Asleep During Fireworks?
Surprisingly, many babies will sleep through the noise of anything big like pneumatic drills, chainsaws – and even fireworks! Maybe it’s a survival mechanism so they get their Zs in, or a continuation of the ‘white noise’ that babies seem to thrive on for comfort, mimicking the heartbeat of the mother.
If your baby does wake up with a start, offer them milk and plenty of cuddles. Add in some background music or white noise and they should be back asleep in no time.
Remember, some children will never like the noise of fireworks and that’s OK.
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