The most crucial time in child development is 0-6 years; a child’s confidence and self-esteem is established by the time they are 6. Children with a high level of self-confidence and self-esteem are likely to do better in life. So how do we help our child thrive, not just survive?
To help boosting confidence in a child, it is important for parents to spend quality time with them. Parents can play a significant role in boosting confidence and building self-esteem of their child by following some simple yet effective tips. Here are 10 tips to help boost a child’s confidence:
1. Spending quality time with children:
It is crucial to spend one-on-one time with children while doing meaningful activities like family meals, storytime, or family outings. Parents need to actively listen rather than selectively hearing what their child says to make them feel seen, heard and valued.
2. Setting up tasks with choices:
Offering choices in tasks help children to become a better decision-maker. It could be as simple as choosing between pizza and paratha for lunch or a red or black outfit for a picnic. When respected, choices make children confident about their decision-making skills and help in boosting confidence and building self-esteem of children.
3. Loving children unconditionally:
Unconditional love is key. Parents should never say “I love you”, “I am not your parent” or “I don’t love you” if the child did something wrong or make the child feel loved only when they achieve something or behave in a desirable way. This sets a platform for them to love themselves and spread their love in the world.
4. Setting up achievable task goals:
Setting up low-hanging task goals is vital to begin with, then parents can gradually increase the complexity of the task. Parents should help the child achieve the goal and genuinely praise them in public. It could start with laying the placemats for the dinner table and gradually laying the fruits on the table & serving them. This helps children learn perseverance and early learning of the same helps children to use this skill throughout their lives.
5. Loving yourself and valuing yourself:
Parents are role models to their children, and their self-love and self-care are critical for boosting confidence and building self-esteem of their child, as children imitate their parents. Teaching children the difference between self-respect and being selfish by narrating stories is likely to benefit them. They try new things, take on new challenges, strive to do their best and learn from their mistakes in a better way.
6. Teaching failures are okay and acceptable:
One of the most valuable lessons a child can learn is that failure is a natural part of the learning process. It’s essential to teach a child that failing to succeed at something doesn’t mean they’re a failure or not good enough. Instead, parents can emphasize that failure is an opportunity to think of new strategies, become resilient, and learn valuable lessons. Parents can support their child’s understanding that success often follows failure and encourage them to persevere and try again. By embracing failure and learning from it, children can develop the resilience and confidence they need to succeed.
7. Praising in public and suggesting in private:
Parents need to praise their child publicly, let children hear parents praise them and parents should make it genuine so the child can relate. Praising the child for making an effort is equally essential, “I love the way you set the table for dinner” or “I love the way you segregate your toys in the basket”. Additionally, suggestions should be made in private, “I would appreciate it if you could put your toys in the basket”. This process nurtures the child’s confidence and self-esteem.
8. Teaching determination and perseverance:
Parents should teach determination and perseverance, and set up tasks with a slightly higher difficulty level, encouraging the child not to give up. Let the child make more effort with more perseverance. Parents could appreciate every time a consistent effort is made for boosting confidence of their child.
9. Setting up schedules:
Parents need to teach a child the value of time management to foster confidence and self-esteem. One effective way to do this is by setting up schedules and encouraging the child to stick to them. By following these schedules and modelling the importance of a routine for specific tasks, parents can help their children develop discipline. By doing so, parents can empower their children and help them grow into confident and self-assured individuals.
10. Encouraging self-expression:
Empowering the child to express themselves and their opinions, regardless of whether they align with their parents, is a powerful way to boost their confidence in their ability to think and make decisions. Encouraging self-expression not only helps in building self-esteem but also fosters a sense of independence and autonomy in a child. By creating a safe space for children to share their thoughts and feelings, parents are instilling a sense of trust and respect that will serve them well in all areas of life.
By implementing these 10 tips, parents can help boosting confidence and building self-esteem for their child, setting them up for success in life. It is important to remember that raising a child’s confidence is a continuous effort, requiring patience, love, and support.
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