Monster Bed, The

Product Information

Picnic boy, a small boy introduced at the beginning of the story, and tells the reader of the dangers of the "Withering Wood". [2] He has presumably been into the Withering Wood, as he is seen running out of the forest with his picnic kit. [18] He owns the white and brown dog, and can be seen eating an apple, sandwich, and other food during his picnic. [2] Some editions of the book come with a plush toy of Dennis, the main character, with a teddy bear in one hand and his pillow in the other. All of the toy's limbs are moveable, including the monster's ears, and it was made to be a bedtime toy. The toy follows all of the details in the book, down to the texture of Dennis's skin.

We had “a white man” walking around his room before and occasional monsters hiding around his bed. But this time, it turned into a pattern – for a few nights in a row, we had a scared child, a horrible monster under his bed, and a grumpy sleep-deprived mummy. We needed a solution. Why are kids afraid of monsters under the bed? The introduction starts the book in the setting of a small picnic of a human and his dog. The human is apparently telling the reader to not venture into the Withering Wood, a forest of trees rumored to have legendary creatures such as hairy trolls, nasty gnomes, and scary pixies and fairies. [2] While “the monster under the bed” issue may be a big challenge, it gives parents an opportunity to teach a child very important coping skills that will last a lifetime. How we coped with the monster under the bed The scary monsters under the bed is a variation of the bogeyman which has existed for centuries, in various guises, all around the world. It is likely that the bogeyman legend originated simply as a behaviour deterrent for children. For example, if a child doesn’t go to bed then they might be told that the bogeyman will ‘get them’. Not exactly grade-A parenting, but a common technique nonetheless, and one that is no doubt still used.

Teach Relaxation Skills

Professor Gray says that we now have an evolutionary mismatch, where factors that shaped our behaviour thousands of years ago no longer apply to the modern day environment. Can you ‘act’ the story and perform it to an audience? You might want to find some props to help you and add sound effects / music too. Faeries Don't Believe in Humans, Either: When her son panics about the possibility of humans crawling under his bed, Dennis' mother tells him that humans are fictional creatures. At the end, the narrator tells the reader to avoid the Withering Wood, or they might meet Dennis' mother, who would tell them they don't exist. Some researchers even suspect that it is evolutionary. At night humans are more vulnerable to predators. So children are hardwired to dream about frightful and dangerous creatures to have some practice runs before being chased by a real sabre-tooth tiger. In our modern world, a scary sabre-tooth tiger turned into a monster that haunts children at night – blame the TV shows, social media, games and even books!

The Monster Bed is a children's book written by Jeanne Willis and illustrated by Susan Varley. The book originally went to press in 1986.Praise the child every time he practices his coping skills and makes progress in overcoming the fear! For example: “I’ve noticed that you used the magic spell and turned your monster into a bunny last time. And look – you stayed in bed for the whole night! That was very brave! You see, you are bigger, stronger and braver than your monster!” The story tells a tale of a little monster who is scared to go to bed. His poor mum has trouble getting him to go to sleep because the little monster believes that humans live under his bed and they will get him in the night. One night the monster decides to sleep under his bed “for if I am there and a human comes near, it won’t think to look for me, safe under here”. That night a boy becomes lost and finds himself in the monsters cave, he spots the bare mattress and tiredly lies down. The boy mum’s is not there to kiss him good night or look for monsters under the bed so the boy has to do it him. The boy gets down on his knees and... found one! You had your anti-monster shield and stayed in bed for the whole night. What a win! That is very brave of you! You see, you are stronger and braver than your monster!” Little Dennis is a polite monster who lives with his mum inside a gloomy and glum cave. The only thing is that he is scared of bedtime. His mum asks him why he is frightened, he shows concern that the humans will get him. His mum explains that humans only exist within stories.

If your child has a very vivid imagination, teach them to use the power of visualisation! Like with the “Monster Shield,” I taught my son, you can, for example, offer your child to imagine a magical trap that will catch the monster once it appears in the room. Or you can use the analogy of “How To Train Your Dragon” and ask if your child can become friends with his monster? She gives Dennis his teddy bear and also says she will not turn off the light. She begins to kiss Dennis, but Dennis reacts and bites her on the nose. Dennis's mother then promises her son that the humans won't get him. She then readies him for bed. However, Dennis concludes he will sleep under his bed so the humans will not be able to find him. [5] A child lost [ edit ] Look at existing pictures of monsters. Could you try to recreate one of these using different types of art materials? I’ve shared with you our success story and hope it may give you an idea of how you can help your child to lessen their fear of monsters. There are several things parents can do to cope with the monsters under the bed, but here are my top 4 tips: 1. Make sure you connect with your child and accept their feelings.

Downloads:

While searching for solutions on the internet, I was surprised to learn that there is a special term for fear of monsters – teraphobia. And apparently, it is very common in young children. Scientists say that fears are a normal and healthy part of childhood development (the same as tantrums). They help them to make sense of the world and develop important coping skills for their whole life. Mummy, it is very big, huge! With sharp teeth and sharp claws. It has a very long tongue and lava-proof scales. And it can turn invisible so nobody can see it. But it’s still there!”