Parents should encourage their children to confront their fear of the dark gradually. Parents should let their children set the pace. They should not force their children to do anything they are not comfortable with. Parents can play games like hide and seek with their children, encouraging children to hide in dark rooms, or hiding in dark rooms themselves and having their children try to find them. Follow the leader is another game that parents can play with their children.
Parents can lead their children in and out of dark rooms.
Another example of a game to play is having children run into a dark room and stay in there for progressively longer periods of time. They can start out at a few seconds and work their way up. Parents should remember to take things slowly when playing such games with their children. They should wait until their children feel completely comfortable with one level of exposure, for example, running into a dark room and staying there for ten seconds, before moving on to another level. Parents can connect a dimmer switch to their child's bedroom light.