Tips to get your child ready for a circus, concert, or play

You may not know if your child is afraid of clowns or other things yet, so preparing them before they encounter a new fear or enter a new environment is helpful. Here are 5 simple tips to help introduce your child to a new event.

1. Encourage excitement. Let your child know about your plans to go to the circus. Share your enthusiasm as you are talking about it.
2. Show pictures from the show. Pictures will give your child an idea of what to expect so their fears will be eased. You can Google the show or find their fan page on Facebook to find photos of the various acts.
3. Let him or her pick out an outfit. If your child doesn’t already chose his or her own clothes provide two options.
4. Go with a group. Make it a family and friends event. If your child is surrounded by people that he or she is comfortable with, it will be much more fun.
5. Arrive early before the show begins. The child should be able to see the arena and be comfortably seated by the load roar from the crowd begins.

Recently, I tested these tips on my own children. One child I did all five and the other child I only did one or two. When we arrived at the circus the daughter that did all 5 was thrilled and could not wait to see the show. On the otherhand my other daughter was terrified and it took her the first 10 minutes to become comfortable in the new setting with the loud noises from the crowd.