Children are great at picking up skills, abilities, and emotions. Kids who are raised in a positive environment, surrounded by people who validate them and have largely positive feedback tend to have better self-esteem than kids with negative feedback, and little or no positive validation.
Sadly, many parents do not even realize this. In fact, parents who are overly critical of children tend to raise kids with low self-esteem issues.
If you’ve noticed that your child is overly critical, often feels less than other kids, is more focused on their failures than successes, and seriously doubt themselves, you need to change that very quickly. The best way to do this is to help build up their self-confidence.
Start With Positive Validation
Most of the time, children mirror what they see and give back what they are given. When a parent keeps shouting at a child, never validates them positively, and always criticizes them, the child will naturally believe that they’re always doing something wrong.
If you have been guilty of this, it’s time to stop. Yes, kids can test your patience, but you’ve got to control yourself and avoid belittling or harshly criticizing them.
Instead, whenever they do anything right or good, encourage them, praise them and make them feel good about themselves. Scold them if they mess up, but make sure it’s done without damaging their self-worth.
Kids who get a lot of genuine praise tend to do better at everything because they are often able to trust themselves more.
Get Help for Any Condition
By help, we mean help for any physical or emotional issues that may be affecting their self-confidence.
For instance, if the child has depression or suffers from anxiety –yes, doctors are seeing more kids with panic attacks and anxiety because of what they read and see on social media– talk to their pediatrician about medications or other treatment options.
If the child struggles with their hearing, talk to an audiologist about the possibility of a hearing aid. Most modern hearing aid features are designed to not only help people hear better but are also designed to be as discreet as possible.
If the child finds it hard to see far-off or nearby objects, take them to see an optician so they can be fitted with prescription glasses to better their eyesight. Whatever the child is dealing with, get them the help they need.
More importantly, emphasize how their condition doesn’t define them, and how they are amazing.
Teach Them to Do Things and Leave Them Be
Self-confidence is also built by empowering the kids and helping them become self-reliant. Teach them how to do things and let them practice by themselves.
These teachings and examples will serve as building blocks for their self-confidence. With time, and as they get older, they’ll become even more confident in their abilities because they accomplished the other stuff. This is how you raise strong children.
Encourage Them to Seek Other Interests
Has your child shown interest in an extracurricular activity, a hobby, or a sport? Encourage them to pursue those interests. Most importantly, help them stick with those interests until they achieve the necessary goals.
This is particularly important in sporting activities where children can get discouraged. When this happens, let them know that challenges are a part of life, but that they can achieve the goal despite those challenges. When they do, it’ll improve their confidence and serve as a life lesson too.
What are your thoughts? Please share in the comments below. I really would love to know.
Until next time, shine amongst the stars!
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This article is very helpful and informative. Thank you for sharing it to all of us!
It is good to foster self confidence so that kids have the best tools to do well in life. These are all good points.
These are great tips to help boost kids’ self-confidence. I wish my mom had resources like this when I was growing up!
This is a really good post. It’s important to try to boost their confidence from early on.