Fear is not a nice feeling, but it’s real and it happens whether we want it or not. And even when we don’t wish it onto our kids, they’ll eventually experience it. In fact, it’s quite common to see children being afraid from a very young age.
Like when they’re afraid of darkness or of monsters under their bed. In all honesty, it’s not a surprise if we think that they’re discovering the world, everything is new to them. And that could lead them to be either reckless or scared.
If we want to help them control this emotion, we need to show them how to express it. That way, they’ll be able to tell us when something scares them. We always teach them words and phrases in their native language for those times when they’re afraid.
But it’s also important they learn how to express it in their second language. After all, if they’re learning a second language, it’s because they’ll be surrounded by that language as much as possible. Like in their classes or when hanging out with their foreigner friends and neighbors.
Spanish is a very popular second language and it’s actually important for people to know at least basic Spanish nowadays. So, here are some scary feelings and emotions in Spanish for them to learn. In case Spanish is what they’re learning in their foreign language class.
15 Words in Spanish About Fear
- Fear – Miedo
- Scare – Susto
- Fright – Susto / Terror
- Terror – Terror
- Panic – Pánico
- Horror – Horror
- Shock – conmocionado
- Fearfulness – Temor / Miedo
- Dread – Pavor
- To scare – Asustar / Espantar
- To intimidate – Intimidar
- To terrify – Aterrorizar / Aterrar
- To horrify – Horrorizar
- To dread – Temer
- To scream – Gritar
10 Adjectives in Spanish to Express Fear
- Scared – Asustado (a)
- Scary – Asustadizo (a) / Aterrador (a)
- Frightened – Atemorizado (a)
- Terrified – Aterrorizado (a) / Aterrado (a)
- Panicked – Apanicado (a)
- Horrified – Horrorizado (a)
- Alarmed – Alarmado (a)
- Fearful – Temeroso (a)
- Dreaded – Temido (a)
- Intimidated – Intimidado (a)
*The letters in parenthesis mean that the words they’re next to must end with an “a” for the words to be feminine. For example: “asustado” (masculine) – “asustada” (feminine).
12 Spanish Phrases for Kids to Express Fear
Here are some phrases in Spanish kids can use as an example on how to express the fear they’re feeling and the reasons behind it:
- I’m afraid. / I’m scared. / Tengo miedo.
- I’m terrified of the monster under my bed. / Estoy aterrado (aterrada) del monstruo bajo mi cama.
- Mom! Regina just scared me! / ¡Ma! ¡Regina me acaba de espantar!
- John scared me. / John me dio un susto. / John me sacó un susto. / John me asustó.
- I watched that horror movie you told me not to and now I can’t sleep. / Vi la película de terror (de miedo) que me dijiste que no viera y ahora no puedo dormir.
- The other day I saw a ghost and it was frightening. / El otro día vi un fantasma y fue aterrador.
- You need to chill; you’re like a scary little cat. / Necesitas relajarte, eres como un pequeño gato asustadizo.
- That man is very scary. / Ese señor es muy aterrador.
- I’m afraid of heights. / Le tengo miedo a las alturas.
- I dread the day in which we’ll have to move out and leave my friends. / Temo el día en que debamos mudarnos y dejar a mis amigos.
- I don’t want to go to school anymore, the bullies intimidate me. / Ya no quiero ir a la escuela, los matones me intimidan.
- Mom, can I please sleep with my blankie? I’m scared of the dark. / ¿Mami, puedo dormir con mi mantita, por favor? Me da miedo la oscuridad.
How to Help Your Kids Learn These Words
Spanish Speaking Time
Create a weekly Spanish speaking time with your kids. You can discuss anything, from things that they’re learning at school to their favorite hobbies. Since feelings and emotions are a constant in everyone’s lives, we’re sure that the way they feel will come out in any conversation.
You can also ask them if there’s anything about the situation or topic you’re talking about that scares them.
But we do also encourage you to have at least one of these conversations being about scary feelings. That way, they can tell you everything in life that scares them and you can understand them better and help them out.
Plus, if the conversation is specifically about feelings of fear, they’ll get to use the vocabulary they just learned in this guide.
Having a speaking time once a week, or as many times as you want, will make them feel seen and cared for. Because children need time to speak only with their parents to discuss anything you want. Some conversations might be lighter and funnier; some others might be more emotional. But they’re all important.
The only rule is for you all to speak in Spanish. If you all still don’t know much Spanish, at least use the words above when talking about scary feelings. We also have other vocabulary lists you can read to help you out in other conversations. Like animals in Spanish or Spanish words for kids that play soccer.
This activity will bring you closer and improve your Spanish skills. It’ll be fun, emotional and useful!
Do an activity they’re scared of
Of course we’re not telling you to risk their lives. But you could help them face their fears by doing something your kids are afraid of together. Having you there with them will make them feel safe. It doesn’t have to be something incredibly dangerous, like jumping off a plane.
No, no. Kids, like any other person, sometimes are afraid of normal, everyday things, like swimming. So, let’s say they’re scared of going into the pool. You know that activity it’s fun and it could bring them joy once they face it. Plus, it’s very important they learn how to swim.
Then help them learn. Take them to the pool and teach them all the steps to become a good swimmer. Don’t leave their side, so you can watch that they don’t get hurt and they can feel safe while facing their fear.
You do have to make the rule of speaking in Spanish, at least before and after the activity. We know that because they’re afraid of it, they might not remember to speak their second language while doing it. That’s okay.
But they do have to speak in Spanish before and after. Because the activity is something scary for them, we’re sure they’ll use some of the words and phrases above.
Hey, you can even combine the first tip we gave you with this one. Just do one of the weekly Spanish conversations about the day they learned how to swim. That is, a talk about when they faced their biggest fear.
Create a Memory Card Game
Learning should be fun. Sadly, sometimes it’s not like that, because kids can feel like there’s too much to memorize and it gets boring. So, let’s change that dynamic and instead of forcing kids to just memorize the words, let’s make a game so they acquire the vocabulary.
If they’re having a good time, they’ll barely notice that they’re learning something new.
One game that is amazing to learn vocabulary is the memory card game. They’ll memorize everything in a fun way. TruFluency kids has its own memory card game DIY tutorial. In there we teach you how to create one from scratch, so you can customize it to your kids’ needs. Children can help you in the creation of it.
That way, you have two different activities for them: crafting and then playing the game. Just make sure that instead of writing on the cards the suggested words we give you on that blog, you write words related to fear.
Since the cards not only have words but also images, it’ll be easier for kids to memorize the words. Because sometimes visuals help understand the meaning of a word better. So if when they flip the word “asustado” they see the face of someone scared, they’ll understand what it means.
As we know the game is about flipping two cards and they must match. Just make sure that one of the cards has the word in English and the other one has the same word but in Spanish. Like “horrified” – “horrorizado”. So kids learn the grammar in both languages.
TruFluency Kids Helps Your Kids Express Their Emotions Fluently in Spanish
Now that you and your children know some basic vocabulary for feelings in Spanish, your kids are ready for the next step. It’s time to enroll them in TruFluency Kids’ Spanish classes.
Because even with all the new knowledge they’ve just acquired, they need to keep improving. As well as learning other emotions and vocabulary and putting it into practice.
TruFluency Kids has native teachers that will make sure students learn more Spanish vocabulary for feelings and emotions. They’ll also teach them other types of vocabulary, reading, listening, and all language skills.
We’ll also make sure children have a fun time in every class. This is because we believe they should enjoy what they’re learning. Otherwise, they’ll end up hating the language, and that’s not what we want as it’s a very beneficial skill.
Because of all of this, we teach through singing, dancing, crafting, playing games and even cooking. There’s always something cool going on in our classes.
What’s better than learning Spanish through everyday activities, right? On that same line, we give kids time to speak during the lessons. Yes, you read that right, your children will be able and encouraged to speak in Spanish.
That’s the best way they’ll get fluent in Spanish and won’t be afraid of speaking their knowledge with a native when the time comes.
With our help, kids will be expressing their true feelings in no time in fluent Spanish. So, what are you waiting for? Choose one of our flexible schedules and sign them up for our next four-week session. Or take a trial class first, if you prefer.
