Managing your child’s self-esteem can be difficult. School, extracurricular activities, and time with peers are all factors that play a role in your child’s self-confidence.
Some children have naturally high self-esteem, excelling at social interaction and performing well at all tasks put before them. Others need the support of their caretakers to help raise their confidence to a strong, healthy level.
What are some of the common ways to build a child’s self-esteem?
Give Them Responsibility
Giving your children responsibilities in the home helps them learn and develop, but also gives them a role in the home. Feeding the family pet, helping prepare dinner, washing the dishes, and folding clothes are just a few of the minor tasks your child can take responsibility for (and taking the chores off your hands is an added plus). They may groan and complain about the chores, but knowing they are accountable, completing a task from start to finish, and learning new skills all help enhance self-esteem.
Get Them Involved
This isn’t to say that you should enroll your child in every extracurricular activity you can find, but find a few activities your child enjoys and can learn from. It may take time and several trial classes. Music lessons, dance, martial arts, and athletics are just a few examples of activities your child can participate in.
Ask Others for Opinions
You aren’t the only one involved in the care for your child. Your child has teachers, babysitters, family members, coaches, doctors, and more. Express your concerns to these people and ask what they’ve observed in your child. They may have an understanding of your child’s self-esteem that you don’t see at home.
Talk it Out
Maybe your child’s self-esteem is making it difficult to build friendships. Or maybe your child is having difficulty with school. Whatever the situation, talking about it with your child is the first step towards discovering the root of the problem. Are they having trouble in school because they have difficulty understanding the materiel or because they simply aren’t interested? Are they having difficulty building friendships because of social anxiety or an outside source?
Show Pride in Their Accomplishments
You don’t want to over-inflate their ego with nonstop praise, but a job well done should be noted. Put the good report card on the fridge, make sure your child hears you telling friends and family about recent accomplishments, and thank them for finishing their chores. Small words can make a big difference.
These are just a few of the tactics parents can use to build a child’s self-esteem. What kind of strategies do you use?
Mike Jousan is a keynote speaker and public speaking expert from Phoenix, Arizona. Join him at Clear Communication Company.
