7 Tips to Build Self-Esteem in Your Child

A positive sense of self-esteem is one of the most important characteristics of healthy child development. Children with high self-esteem feel confident, accepted, and have trust in themselves. 

Low self-esteem can hamper your child’s growth, performance in academics as well as in other walks of life.

There are plenty of ways in which parents can help boost self-esteem in their children from a very young age. In this article, you’ll go through some tips to build self-confidence that you may not have considered before.

Empower them with choices

Let your children make their own choices. Giving children choices to make their decisions from a set of options will help them know what they want. So, always try to include your child in small decision-making by preselecting options and letting them decide which works better. For example, for breakfast, you might offer your child the option of french toast or eggs. Learning to make choices while they are young will help them prepare for difficult choices they will face in the future. 

Encourage them to pursue their interests

Another way to boost confidence in your kids is to encourage them to take on tasks they like. It doesn’t matter what the task is; if it interests them, you need to follow and cheer them up to complete it. It could be anything from painting to swimming or beating levels in video games. The point is they stick to it from the start and feel that hit of accomplishment at the end.

Give your child responsibilities

Children can learn at every age, and completing a task or chore gives them a sense of accomplishment. Even if they don’t do it as you thought, pat them on their back and appreciate their efforts. Praising them for little things will build confidence and encourage them to do better every day. 

You can ask them to put their laundry in the laundry bag, keep the utensils in the basin after eating, or pick up the toys after playing. Performing these small activities will make them responsible for small jobs, which can go a long way in building confidence and resilience.

Focus on their strengths

Every child is unique and has his own way of doing things. Pay attention to what your child enjoys doing and provide them opportunities to develop these skills. Encourage them to work on their strengths rather than pointing at their weaknesses. 

Gone are the days when there were just 2-3 career options available to succeed. Now, you can work on your strengths and make a rewarding career for almost all skills. 

Offer appropriate praise

In an attempt to encourage kids, parents get carried away and offer praise too freely. But kids are masters at detecting hollow compliments. Praise your kids often but not with baseless compliments; praise them for their effort, progress, and attitude. For instance, instead of reacting to their piano skills with “You’re the best pianist in the world,” try something like “I’m proud of you; you’re getting better at playing the piano every day.”

Don’t over-protect your kids

Parents have a natural tendency to protect their kids from getting hurt or making mistakes. When parents are too protective, they aren’t letting kids develop the skills they need to thrive, and they miss out on the enjoyment of independence. Let the kids face the world because you can’t always protect them; let them choose their own battles and allow them to fail to do better the next time. 

Spend quality time with your kids

Whether it’s going to a beach or riding a bike, try to schedule some alone time with the kids at least once a week. Spending quality time is a great opportunity to know what’s going on in her mind and results in a beautiful deepening of the bond. 

Stop the comparison

Parents tend to compare their kids with every other kid; when they do this with their children, they’re laying the groundwork for a poor sense of self. 

Parents need to keep in mind that no two children can be the same and have different talents, interests, and strengths. So, instead of comparing, celebrate each one’s individuality and special gifts.

The Final Word

Working to build your child’s self-esteem can have a lasting impact on all aspects of life. You don’t need a degree to raise a confident child; you can just refer to the above-mentioned tips for self-confidence and help your child accomplish goals and achieve great things in life. 

Also read – 10 Useful Tips on How to Make Your Child Independent