How to Build Self Confidence in Your Child
Confidence isn’t always easy when it comes to kids. Whether it’s trying to ride a bike or learning to read, children can be pretty hard on themselves!
But a child who has confidence will be able to take on new challenges and deal with any issues that come along. They’ll also have a healthy sense of self and feel comfortable in their skin.
Luckily, it’s easy enough to build self confidence in your child for the engaged parent. Try some of our tips so your child can make their own successes!
Try New Things
It’s a challenge for all of us to take on new things. But, when it comes to how to build self confidence in a child, it’s the learning that goes along with something new that can help them. If they’re trying to ride a bike, take it one step at a time so they can get the hang of it. Or, if they’re baking cookies, take them through it step by step. Another way to build confidence is to help develop their social skills.
Discover Their Passions
For most of us, our confidence blossoms in relation to what we’re good at. So, while it improves our character to do things we’re not great at, nurturing your child’s talents is still important. If they’re good at drawing, sit them down with the sketch pad. Or, if they love to dance, sign them up for a class with other kids. Honing a talent will build confidence in your child, helping them to focus their attention and develop a sense of place in the world.
Praise Them, But Not Too Much
Giving your kid kudos for a job well done is part of building confidence in your child. However, praising them too much isn’t the best idea. If, for example, they did bad on a test, it’s best to acknowledge their disappointment and encourage them for the future. It will validate their feelings and still make them want to do better next time.
Don’t Be Too Critical
By giving your child negative messages about something they’re trying to do, they won’t be able to build confidence. It will also impact other areas of their life where they won’t have patience with themselves or want to try new things. One of the most important things to do to build self confidence in a child is provide constructive criticism that will help them learn from their mistakes.
Maintain a Positive Attitude
An important part of building confidence in your child is modeling a positive attitude. As you go about your daily chores and tasks, be sure to approach them with optimism. It’s OK to express frustration, but think about the way your child will view it. By maintaining optimism, your child will learn that this is how they should approach their own efforts.
Let Them Fail
One of the hardest things about being a parent is watching your child fail at something. Whether it’s falling off a bike or getting a bad mark on a test, standing by is a challenge. But it’s important not to step in and instead help your child develop independence. By allowing them to deal with challenges on their own, they’ll learn they won’t always succeed on the first try.
All it takes to build confidence in your child is a few simple things. And the outcomes of the effort put in will make it more than worthwhile! By helping them discover their passions and stay the course, they’ll be able to keep calm in the face of all of life’s hurdles. If your child is 2 years or older and beginning to learn words, try our Advanced Nouns flash cards to help them develop confidence in their language capabilities!
References
KidsHealth. Your Child’s Self-Esteem. https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/self-esteem.html
Parents. 9 Secrets of Confident Kids. https://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/fear/secrets-of-confident-kids/
Child Mind Institute. 12 Tips for Raising Confident Kids. https://childmind.org/article/12-tips-raising-confident-kids/
