Today we live in a very competitive world wherein children are faced with many challenges, both in their academic and personal life. It is thus very important that children are well equipped to handle these different life situations. A child who has good self-confidence and self-esteem is able to handle their emotions and challenges effectively. In this article, we talk about Building Self Confidence in Children.
So, What is self-confidence? Self-confidence is a strong feeling about yourself.
Children who have high self-confidence will exhibit the following characteristics of Self Confidence –
- They feel valued and accepted.
- They feel proud of their achievements.
- They feel confident to do things that are expected of them.
- They will react positively to challenges in life.
- They will feel secure and confident.
Children who have low self-confidence exhibit the following characteristics –
- They are critical about themselves.
- Insecurity is very high.
- Always dwell on failure rather than success.
- Always doubt their inability.
Building Self-Confidence in Children
1. Try to be a positive parent and a role model.
There will be many times when your child will fail or will do things which are difficult to understand. But in these times, you need to be patient and positive. Stop over-reacting or giving negative feedback always. Spend time explaining to them why things have gone wrong and give constructive feedback and suggestions to cope with failure.
As parents, we also need to be role models by doing things in our day to day life, in a positive manner. If you do help around in the house with a smile and without grudging, or eat healthily and exercise regularly, then your children will pick up these habits which will help in moulding their character.
Also if you face current life situations with boldness and confidence, children will also learn to face life with confidence. Children are great observers and they tend to follow and imitate their elders. Avoid showing them stress and anxiety. First and foremost you deal with your emotions positively, so that they are able to follow you.
2. Praise your child but do not overpraise.
It is important to encourage and motivate your child by praising them when they succeed and do good things. At the same time, it is important not to overpraise as it will do more harm.
Always praise them for their efforts, progress, and their attitude, rather than the results. By doing this, you will help your child to relax and give their best, as they know that their efforts are being recognized. Use phrases like, you are really working hard for the exams, you are getting better day by day etc.
3. Focus on their strengths and help them to overcome their weakness.
Most of the time parents are very harsh on their children. Phrases like, you are useless, you are so lazy, you cannot do anything good etc. are very harmful and will erode their self-confidence.
Avoid saying negative things, instead focus on their strengths and nurture them. When children start focusing on their strengths they succeed, which in turn builds their self-confidence.
In case of their weakness, help them to take appropriate measures to overcome their weakness. With love and the right support, their weakness can turn into their advantage over a period of time.
4. Have a conducive and supportive environment at home.
It is important to have a comfortable and supportive environment at home. Good communication is a strong factor in developing healthy relationships with your children. No matter how busy you are, it is important to take time out for your family and children. Always address your child by their name.
Keep a daily family dinner time or prayer time, wherein the family meets and bonds together. Always ask your children about their day to day happenings in school and other areas. Children become comfortable sharing every small detail with their parents when they are aware of their parent’s unconditional love for them.They know that their parents will support and help them. Further, it will help them to take a risk and do things confidently.
[content-egg module=Amazon template=grid]5. Encourage them but do not have unrealistic expectations.
It is important to encourage your child’s talents but at the same time do not push them. Try to maintain a healthy balance between pushing and protecting them. Make them realize that your love is unconditional and does not depend upon their performance or results.
Help them to always believe in themselves. When they fail, they need to get up and start again. Always encourage them to fight it out rather than lose courage and give up.
6. Encourage your children to make their own choices.
It is important that children take on risks, make choices and take responsibility for their choices. This will help them to build confidence and face real-life challenges. Ask them to make age-appropriate decisions and be accountable for those decisions. Don’t be a rescue parent by jumping in at every opportunity to help. There will be times when they will fall, but all these failures will help them with important life lessons.
Give them responsibilities at home like doing some household chores, doing their self-study, making beds etc. They will know the importance of work and will also know that their contribution holds value. Encourage them to complete their tasks which will help them build self-confidence.
7. Encourage them to take part in various school activities.
School plays a very important part in building the self-confidence of children. Ask your child to participate in different school activities. It is important that they participate in these activities, as it will build their confidence levels.
These are some of the ways in building self-confidence in your children. Self-confidence will not come with overpraising or by telling them that they are great all the time. It will come only when they put in hard work and win the competition. Even if they don’t win, they strive to work hard and try again. In this whole process, they are assured of their parent’s unconditional love and support.
Hope you enjoyed this article, Building Self-Confidence in Children. Please leave a comment down below.
Please read our earlier article How to build confidence and live without fear
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