Ways To Build Confidence And Boost Self Esteem In Children

By Author: ESTEEM Publishing
Total Articles: 6
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Children go through many developmental stages and it is extremely important to familiarize yourself with the important milestones and needs for your child’s age group. While the milestones your child reach will vary greatly throughout the years, the need for opportunities to build and maintain healthy levels of confidence and self esteem will remain priority, regardless of age.
 Below are some helpful activities that can guide you on the path toward helping children achieve greater confidence and higher self esteem:
 Grocery Shopping and Cooking (Ages 4+):  Sitting down with your child, a cookbook, and making a plan for the week’s meals will boost him/her self esteem by making them feel like an important member of the family with a job everyone depends on. Additionally, going to the store together and buying the food serves as quality time and teaches valuable lessons about how to choose the best items for your money. Also, preparing and serving the meal will provide valuable cooking skills and a great sense of accomplishment.
Provide A Sense of Ownership and Responsibility (Ages 5+):  Let children ...
... have ownership of things around the house. For example, give the child a bathroom. Let he/she know that the bathroom is theirs and they are responsible for keeping it clean, decorating it, keeping toilet paper available and reporting to you when something goes wrong. Recognize them for being responsible and doing all that’s required for owning the bathroom. Don’t stand over their shoulders and constantly remind them to keep the bathroom in order. Show them that you trust them enough to give them the responsibility. They will be proud to say, “This is MY bathroom” and even prouder when you show that you are proud of the job they’re doing. Don’t forget to monitor their actions. If the responsibility is too great, try something else.
Peer Mentoring (Ages 5+): One way a teacher can help with confidence and self esteem building is to help children become a peer mentor. As a mentor, a child will have a chance to help a younger child with a few educational and social tasks. This means that your child will be looked up to by someone and will have a part in making someone else’s life better. This will influence positive thoughts and feelings.
A Reward System (All Ages):  Positive reinforcement has always played a key role in performance and attitude. By inspiring children to do their best and rewarding them for a job well done, children will feel a sense of worth and achievement. They are able to prove to themselves that they can accomplish the task and it is motivating when being honored with a reward.
Have Some Fun (All Ages):  Enjoy a few games. Let the child choose the game. Be certain the child will succeed in the game and learn from it. Show your excitement about the game chosen. Take the time to understand and agree on the rules. There are no losers. Everyone’s a winner. Allow time for the child to practice the game and show him/her how they can get better at it each time they play. Fun = happiness. Note: For children under 5 years of age, avoid rules. Let them explore and lead the way. Set them up for success. This is best for helping them learn, build confidence and boost self esteem.
Public Speaking/Friendly Debating (Ages 7+):  Let a group of children pick a topic that each are excited or passionate about. Control the debate and don’t let it last too long – 5 to 7 minutes will do. Each child participating should be allowed to speak freely, their opinion (s) about the topic. Your role is the facilitator and you are responsible for making certain everyone gets a chance to speak and stay on topic. This will give these children a chance to practice speaking their minds publicly and defend their point of view.
Giving Back (Ages 5+):  Give children opportunities to give back to their community or to others in need. Help them understand the importance of doing so and the difference they’ll make. This will help them feel valued and appreciated. Everyone involved will benefit.
The above activities are just a few. Some may work, some may not. Enjoy trying. Each of these activities will at least help you spend quality time with your child – which is a significant step when helping a child build confidence and when boosting their self esteem. It makes the child feel important and shows that you care about them. Remember, while spending quality time – no television, phones, Blackberries, nor computers. Give your full attention. Make these moments fun, special, and memorable!
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