Self-esteem is something we all struggle with. Even many adults still have trouble building their self-esteem. This is why it is so important to help children, starting at a young age, grow and develop their self-esteem. Your child should be able to do different things with confidence and believe in themselves. Whether they are making decisions, working on projects alone, or interacting with others, self-esteem can affect the way they act in these situations.
Your children won’t develop a great self-esteem overnight, it takes time to build this confidence and a positive sense of self. That is why you need to start working with your children now, to help them out in the future. At Yellow Brick Road Early Childhood Development Center, we work with our students and help them develop—mentally, physically, and emotional.
According to an article from Parents®, high self-esteem in a child can translate into happy and productive adults that feel loved and competent. Self-esteem is a factor in our lives that we often don’t think about and could be the reason why you are where you are now. To help your child and boost their self-esteem, follow these tips!
Give Them Purpose
When you do everything for your children, they may begin to feel that they do not matter to the outcome of things or have the ability to make decisions in their own lives. Of course you are not going to let a toddler decide whether they go to school or not, but giving them different responsibilities and asking them to make their own decisions can help give them purpose and make them feel like they are just as important as everyone else.
Try giving them chores that are child-friendly and easy for them to accomplish. Having them pick up their own toys, set the table, feed the dog, or even help you clean the house can help them to feel responsible for something, boosting their competence and helping them learn a thing or two about responsibility.
Allowing your children to make their own choices can help them feel empowered. These decisions can be simple, like picking what their snack is, what movie they want to watch, or what game they want to play. These simple choices and help prepare them for bigger decision they will make down the road and encourage them to be confident in their decisions.
One more thing that can help give your kids a sense of purpose is allowing them to do their own things. This mean not doing everything for them. Let them dress themselves, get themselves ready for bed, and other simple tasks that they can handle on their own. Your kids will make mistakes and learn from them, which is always a plus, but they will also feel responsible for their own lives and gain a bit of independence.
Create A Sense Of Belonging
When your child feels as though they do not belong, whether it is among family member or friends, they may begin to feel worthless, which can destroy their self-esteem. Your child should feel as though they are loved, respected, and important to the people who surround them.
This does not mean place the on a pedestal and praise them, they may get a big head that way. But giving them small amount of praise for their strengths can help them to realize that they are good at different things and help them feel better about themselves. This is especially important when siblings are involved. Children have a terrible habit of comparing themselves to their siblings, noticing that their siblings strengths happen to be their weaknesses. This leads kids to believing that they are not as good, hurting their self-esteem and causing them to feel secluded.
Noticing each of your children’s strengths can help your kiddos to see that they are all different and that they all are better at different things. This will draw your family closer together, allowing them to see each others strengths, stop comparing their qualities, and allow everyone to feel as though they matter to the family.
Helping your child feel as though the belong and receive the same amount of praise and respect as your other kids can help build your child’s self-esteem while also teaching your kids that everyone is different and not everyone is good at the same things.
There are many different ways to get your kids to develop a positive self-esteem. Letting them do things on their own, allowing them to push on from their mistakes, and give them a chance to make their own choices can help to give your child a sense of purpose. Another great way to build self-esteem is to allow your children to pursue what interested them. Telling them that it is a bad idea or that it is pointless will just make their interests feel as though they don’t matter to the rest of the family. Encouraging them to pursue their passions can help them learn how to complete things and put effort into them. The feeling of accomplishment will also boost self-esteem. You can find even more great tips from this Today’s Parent article!
No matter what you do to help your child develop self-esteem, just make sure that you are supportive and encouraging. They will develop a self-esteem no matter what, you just want to make sure you were a positive influence for them. To help your child develop and get the education they need to thrive in life, enroll them at Yellow Brick Road. We will help your child develop mentally, physically, and emotionally!