Helping Your Child with their Self-Esteem

What is Self-Esteem?

Self-esteem refers to the amount of confidence your child has in their own abilities and opinions, which helps them cope with challenging situations from exams to relationship problems. These feelings of personal value actually start to develop in infancy and are cultivated over time.

A child with low self-esteem probably won’t feel comfortable taking risks, trying new things or sticking up for themselves, because they don’t believe they’re good enough. They will constantly compare their worth to that of their school mates; an attitude which will hold them back both at school and in their personal lives.

With this in mind, helping your child to develop a strong sense of self will be very beneficial. Of course, that’s easier said than done, which is why a junior school in the Cotswolds has put together the following advice.

How to Boost Your Child’s Self-Esteem?

First of all, you need show your child that you love and care about them by taking the time each day to talk to them one to one. The more of an interest you show in their education, interests and their friendships, the more valued they will feel. It will also encourage them to open up to you in the future. What’s more, you will be able to take this as an opportunity to praise your child for the things they talk about that make you proud, thus making them feel good about themselves.

Try not to do everything for your child; they need to learn to do things and solve problems on their own because this will help them become more confident. Give them some jobs to do around the house, like helping with the hoovering, feeding the pets or taking the bins out. This will give them a sense of competency and empowerment.

Encourage your child to have an optimistic mind-set and teach them that all human beings are experiencing their own journey of growth; no-one is perfect. If your child understands that their abilities can develop over time, they will start to acknowledge that mistakes are just a learning process and are nothing to be ashamed of.

*Collaborative Post