Trying to make children wear prescribed glasses is always a tough sell as they often think wearing glasses makes them look dorky or stand out from other children their age. However, if you can make the whole experience a fun affair for them and ease them into the transition, it’s not that difficult to convince children to wear glasses.
If you’re a parent or a guardian figure facing this difficulty and want to make wearing glasses fun for your child, there are a couple of things to keep in mind.
Let Them Choose the Style
Glasses are a very personal style statement, so don’t just choose a frame for your child and force them to wear it. This is one of the main reasons why most small children refuse to wear glasses their parents bought in the first place. Instead of forcing them to wear a frame you chose, involve your kids in the process to make them feel more excited.
Let them choose a frame with style and color that your child finds appealing. Doing so makes them feel more comfortable wearing prescription glasses as they feel they had a say in the matter. Just make sure what they’re choosing is durable and age-appropriate. Children usually like bright and funky colored frames, so don’t make them wear dark or ‘adult’ colors.
Make Sure They Fit
Making sure that the frame you and your child chooses fits their face properly. A common frustration for many children is glasses continuously falling off, which dissuades them from wearing glasses as they find it embarrassing. To resolve this issue, find specific glasses for kids that will fit their faces. Many brands offer frame designs exclusively for kids, which you can look up online.
When looking for glasses with a good fit for your child’s face, focusing on a few things will make the job easier. Firstly, the size of the glasses should be proportionate to your child’s eye sockets and should follow their eye’s natural curve. This means you need to choose a frame that suits your child’s facial structure.
Secondly, the temples of the frame shouldn’t be too large, otherwise they won’t fit. Many frames seem like they’re going to fit but don’t due to this reason. The frames shouldn’t be too tight as they can be very uncomfortable. If the frame is too tight, your child will experience pain behind the ears where the glasses stay clamped when worn.
Make it a Fun Routine
For most small children, wearing glasses is not something they look forward to. This is exactly why making it into a fun routine for your child will help them ease into the habit. Add the glasses into a fun morning experience like taking a walk or picking out an outfit that matches. When the experience is fun and positive, your kid will automatically look forward to the next opportunity.
Demonstrating an encouraging and positive attitude also goes a long way to convince children to wear glasses. Think of creative and fun ways to convince them, like telling them that glasses are magical and are enchanted to help people see better. To not put any pressure on, ease your kids into wearing glasses in short sessions. Remember, forcing kids to do something only makes them more reluctant.
Offer Role Models
One of the most important factors that can convince your child to wear glasses is showing them role models, both in fiction and real life. Characters and celebrities like Harry Potter, Superman, Tom Holland, Justin Bieber, and more are very influential and can convince your child to overcome their shame and wear glasses.
Instead of pointing to random role models, find people who wear glasses that your child loves and respects. You can ask a friend or family member to wear their glasses around the kid to make it easier. Also, if you wear glasses, wearing them as much as possible around your child can also help them ease into the habit.
The Right Attitude Can go a Long Way
To make wearing glasses fun for your child, the right attitude is very important. Remember, prescription glasses are something your child will have to wear to protect their eyesight. The last thing you want is your child not wearing glasses because they feel awkward or ashamed of wearing glasses. Help them enjoy the experience and improve their vision in the process.
