Top Tips to Build Positive Self-Esteem and Confidence in Kids
Did you know that simply praising your child can be more harmful than effective? Let’s look at some ways you can help your child build confidence and self-esteem.
As parents, we all want our children to grow up feeling good about themselves, confident and capable. A child’s self-esteem can affect every aspect of their lives – from their academic and social success to their overall happiness and well-being.
So, it’s important for you to help your kids develop positive self-esteem and build confidence. With the help of Learning and Development specialists, Beansprouts Preschool outlines some strategies you can can use to help them develop positive self-worth:
1. Praise effort, but not blindly:
It’s important to praise your child’s efforts, even if they don’t achieve the desired outcome. But that is to be done with discretion. Over-praising kids will do more harm than good. You don’t want to effectively lower the bar for them. Constant complimenting can erode self-esteem in the long run. Either kids start thinking they’re perfect or they try to be perfect all the time—an impossible standard.
2. Let your child take healthy risks:
Start by forcing yourself to stand back while your child takes healthy risks. To build confidence in the world, kids have to take chances, make choices and learn to take responsibility for them.
3. Teach problem-solving skills:
As children encounter challenges, they will need to develop problem-solving skills to overcome them. Teach your child to break down a problem into smaller parts, brainstorm solutions, and evaluate the best course of action.
4. Let kids make their own choices:
When kids make their own age-appropriate choices, they feel more powerful. It doesn’t come as a surprise that kids as young as two can start considering the consequences of their decisions.
5. Encourage kids to pursue their interests wholeheartedly:
It doesn’t matter what the task is- it could be anything from swimming to beating levels in a video game, or completing that painting they started, a sureshot way to boost confidence in kids is to encourage them to take on tasks they show interest in, and then make sure they follow through to completion. The point is for them to stay on what they start, so they feel the euphoria of accomplishment at the end.
6. Do ensure your child’s goals are within reach, at a level appropriate for their age and ability
Goals that are too difficult or beyond your child’s current abilities may discourage them and make them lose motivation to work towards them. On the other hand, if you set goals that are too easy or below your child’s current abilities, they may not feel challenged or motivated to work towards them. It’s essential to strike a balance and set goals that are challenging enough to motivate your child but also achievable within a reasonable time frame.
7. Encourage them to try new things:
Trying new things can be scary, but it’s essential for building confidence. Encourage your child to step outside of their comfort zone and try new things, whether it’s a new sport, instrument, or hobby.
8. Provide them with opportunities for responsibility:
Giving your child responsibilities, such as caring for a pet or helping with household chores, can help them develop a sense of competence and self-worth. Along with this, let your child know you love them even when he or she fails or makes bad decisions.
As a parent, investing time in nurturing your children’s self-esteem is a valuable endeavor. While it may require extra effort at times, Beansprouts Preschool can help parents provide a foundation for them to develop a positive self-image of themselves and achieve success.