How to Help Your Child Build Self-Esteem
The way in which a child perceives himself is important throughout his development. While much of this perception comes from within, his parents have a role in how his self-esteem develops. How his parents and other important people in his life treat him can contribute to his sense of self-worth, according to HealthyChildren.org. Parents should work toward building a healthy sense of self within their children, as this gives them a better chance of developing into self-confident adults in the future.
Instructions
Model self-esteem yourself. If you become a pessimistic person and are always down on yourself, your child could follow suit, suggests KidsHealth. By improving your own self-esteem, you can encourage the same behavior from your child. Learn about your child's inaccurate beliefs. When your child has a poor vision of herself, it sometimes comes from irrational thoughts about her own self-worth, notes KidsHealth. She might have set a standard for herself that is too high, which has led to her developing a negative self-image. By identifying inaccurate beliefs, parents can work toward eliminating them. Play with your child. The more time you spend with your child doing things that he wants to do, the more he will value himself as a person. He will see that you value him as a person and will place a higher value on himself, according to Ask Dr. Sears. Put your child in a position to succeed. As your child grows, she will develop certain skills and talents. Recognizing these talents and helping her to develop them can fill her with a sense of achievement, which breeds confidence. Do not compare her talents to those of others, but rather let her know that you are proud of how well her skill has developed. Provide positive feedback. Even if the action seems insignificant, making the child feel as though he has done something positive can help his self-esteem. Create a warm and trusting home. The more your child feels a sense of belonging inside of the home, the easier it is to venture outside of the home with the same level of confidence, according to HealthyChildren.org. Allow your child to make mistakes. Everyone fails occasionally, and how your child reacts to these mistakes will help determine how she views herself. Let her know that mistakes and failure are a normal part of life. Supporting her through these problems will ensure that she never gets too down on herself when things do not go her way.
