Scary Stories: Are They Good for Your Child?

Many kids love reading and telling scary stories, a fact best illustrated by the overwhelming popularity of the chilling Goosebumps series. But are frightening tales a good idea for children?

The answer is a resounding “yes,” but with definite conditions, according to psychologists and children’s literature specialists.

“Scary stories are a fantastic idea on a child-by-child, book-by-book basis,” says Steven Herb, president of the Association for Library Services for Children and a professor of language and literacy education at Penn State University. “A story may be very appropriate for a fourth-grader, but inappropriate for a first-grader. And while scary stories are terrific, they shouldn’t be forced on a child who doesn’t want to read them.”

Herb also points out that there are at least three different types of fiction that belong under the umbrella term of “scary stories” and cautions parents to understand each type’s appropriateness.

• Delightfully Scary Stories – “First there are stories that produce pleasurable anxiety, like the Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine, and the Alvin Schwartz collections of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” says Janie Hydrick, Ph.D., who has taught kindergartners through fifth-graders during her 35 years’ teaching. These stories are an entertaining escape. This is the campfire-type story that is meant to send chills down a child’s spine, make her scream and clutch her friend’s arm – and then laugh about it later as the kids scare themselves again. This type of story also provides a sense of detachment, Hydrick explains. Children can reassure themselves that “it’s not happening to me, it’s happening to the character.”

• Fairy Tales – Sometimes scary stories are not only entertaining, but also serve an important purpose by helping children deal with their fears. Fairy tales are a good example of this.