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Effective Ways to Build Self-Esteem in Children
One of the main issues that parents must deal with when raising a child, is their self-concept and self-esteem. Teaching our kids to value themselves and their talents can be a tricky thing to do. Parents must be able to achieve a balance between allowing their kids enough independence to be able to decide for themselves and act on their own, and showing the guidance that will keep them in the right path.
If we show a certain level of disinterest, giving them too much freedom, then that can lead to rebellion but if we are too strict, then that can also lead to problems and hinder them from developing independently.
Self-esteem can be encouraged and developed anytime in a persons life, that is why it’s always good to begin early with your children, so they will learn to trust in their abilities and talents. Below are some activities that you can do with your child that can help them increase their level of self-esteem.
1. Teach self-affirming statements
Talking to yourself in front of the mirror and telling yourself what a great person you are, can feel a bit childish for a grown-up to do but not for a child. It may seem childish, but it works, and even some adults do it in order to boost their confidence for the upcoming day or event. You don’t have to continue with it, if is seems to be something they are not feel comfortable with. They can say self-affirming words without looking in a mirror and it can be just as effective in helping them feel positive about themselves and have greater self-confidence.
Come up with a song that your child can easily remember, perhaps one to a favorite tune or mantra like, ’Happy Birthday’, but just change the words. Every morning, tell your child the mantra and have your child tell hers to you. The mantra should be about each other; such as saying I love you in the morning or telling each other how great the other is.
There is really no exact way to do this. You can create your own variations as long as the essence of affirming oneself is there.
2. The Positive Trait Game
Another activity that you can do with your child, that will not only boost their self-esteem, but also help in building his or her vocabulary, is the positive trait game. This is a fun way for you and your child to tell each other the things you like about each other, or the positive traits you see in them. The catch is that the trait should start in a specific letter of the alphabet.
This is a fantastic way to get your child to focus on their positive attributes and talents, and then speak out on what they think make him or her unique and special. This is also a great way to make sure that he or she will grow up knowing where his or her strengths lie.
3. Do activities that they love
It is good to introduce new activities to them so they can find out which ones they enjoy and feel they are good at. Enroll them in different summer classes and be open to all kinds of things. For instance, if he is good with drawing and crayons, it does not mean that he will not be good in music. It’s ok if they don’t like something at first, you may just need to encourage them to try it for a few more weeks to make sure.
Anyhow, if he does not like it, at least he has learned something new. By allowing them to explore different things, they will find out what they love to do and what they are really good at; this is a wonderful way to boost their self-confidence early in life. After all, when children are enjoying what they are doing, they become very enthusiastic and they are open to developing their skills further.
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