Effective Ways to Build Self-Esteem in Children
One of the main issues that parents must deal with when raising a child, is their self-concept and self-esteem. Teaching our kids to value themselves and their talents can be a tricky thing to do. Parents must be able to achieve a balance between allowing their kids enough independence to be able to decide for themselves and act on their own, and showing the guidance that will keep them in the right path.
Being too lax and giving them too much freedom can lead to rebellion while being too strict can destroy a child’s independent spirit and foster too much dependence.
Self-esteem can be encouraged and developed anytime in a persons life, that is why it’s always good to begin early with your children, so they will learn to trust in their abilities and talents. Below are some activities that you can do with your child that can help them increase their level of self-esteem.
1. Teach self-affirming statements
Have them stand in front of a mirror and say what a great person they are, or you can begin for them as they look at themselves in the mirror, until they get comfortable doing it by themselves. Even if it seems childish, the practice is quite effective in boosting our self-esteem. You don’t have to continue with it, if is seems to be something they are not feel comfortable with. They can say self-affirming words without looking in a mirror and it can be just as effective in helping them feel positive about themselves and have greater self-confidence.
Come up with a song that your child can easily remember, perhaps one to a favorite tune or mantra like, ’Happy Birthday’, but just change the words. Every morning, tell your child the mantra and have your child tell hers to you. The mantra should be about each other; such as saying I love you in the morning or telling each other how great the other is.
You can be creative, by showing your love and acceptance you can never go wrong. You can create your own variations as long as the essence of affirming oneself is there.
2. Playing the Positive Traits Game
Another activity that you can do with your child, that will not only boost their self-esteem, but also help in building his or her vocabulary, is the positive trait game. In this game, you will each tell each other the positive traits that one sees in the other. The catch is that the trait should start in a specific letter of the alphabet.
This is a fantastic way to get your child to focus on their positive attributes and talents, and then speak out on what they think make him or her unique and special. This is also a great way to make sure that he or she will grow up knowing where his or her strengths lie.
3. Find Activities they Enjoy Doing
Encourage them to try out new things so that they will discover their talents and abilities. Enroll them in different summer classes and be open to all kinds of things. For Example, maybe they find out they are great in art, drawing, painting but they don’t really enjoy music all that much. So don’t discount music lessons as part of his summer curriculum.
Anyhow, if he does not like it, at least he has learned something new. By allowing them to explore different things, they will find out what they love to do and what they are really good at; this is a wonderful way to boost their self-confidence early in life. Childhood is a wonderful time in life and by allowing your child to enjoy activates, they will become even more adventurous and open to learning new things.
