Children's Self Esteem And Building It Back Up
The development in children's self esteem is important to help them grow into healthy adults. It also helps children become more confident in growing up and feeling secure that they can handle the future. However, it can be difficult to know how to build up confidence is they are naturally unsure of themselves and how they are as individuals. Here are some ways to help encourage them and build them up again.
Focus on Positive Points
If a child has had a bad experience and now think they are terrible at something, they need to remember that there are lots of other things they are good at. Be sure to point this out, and if they are looking to your advice on how they did on these activities, be positive and encouraging. However, be careful not to slip into being overly positive as this instills unrealistic expectations about their abilities. It may be hard to think about, but not everyone is going to be positive and encouraging, so they need to be prepared for these opinions as well.
Build a Strong and Safe Home Environment
A child may associate home with a safe haven, so be sure to deal with conflict calmly and patiently. If conflict should arise, be sure to deal with the situation without yelling and without belittling anyone in the conversation. If there is conflict between parents, be sure to talk about the issues alone and not with the child close by. If a child feels restricted with what they can tell their parents or are constantly in a conflict-fueled environment, this can damage their self esteem. Creating a good home environment can give your child a strong sense of confident roots.
Overcoming Disappointment
It is natural for a child to not get something that they want, not make the team, or not win a prize for something they thought they did well in. The child's first instinct for not winning is to think they are bad at whatever they were doing. It is important to encourage children by telling them that you were proud that they tried and made an effort. If you really liked their performance, be honest and tell them so. However, if there were some errors that you noticed, do not instantly begin to criticize what they did wrong as this will make them feel even worse. A child's self esteem when they are young can be fragile, so taking steps to build it must be thought through accordingly.
To learn more about how to build self esteem in children, contact a company like Aikido Northshore.
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