Activities in Building Self-Esteem in Children
One of the main issues that parents must deal with when raising a child, is their self-concept and self-esteem. Teaching our kids to value themselves and their talents can be a tricky thing to do. Parents must be able to achieve a balance between allowing their kids enough independence to be able to decide for themselves and act on their own, and showing the guidance that will keep them in the right path.
Being too lax and giving them too much freedom can lead to rebellion while being too strict can destroy a child’s independent spirit and foster too much dependence.
Self-esteem can be encouraged and developed anytime in a persons life, that is why it’s always good to begin early with your children, so they will learn to trust in their abilities and talents. There are several things that parents can do to help develop a healthy self-esteem in their children.
1. Self-affirming statements
Have them stand in front of a mirror and say what a great person they are, or you can begin for them as they look at themselves in the mirror, until they get comfortable doing it by themselves. Even if it seems childish, the practice is quite effective in boosting our self-esteem. You don’t have to continue with it, if is seems to be something they are not feel comfortable with. They can say self-affirming words without looking in a mirror and it can be just as effective in helping them feel positive about themselves and have greater self-confidence.
Come up with a song that your child can easily remember, perhaps one to a favorite tune or mantra like, ’Happy Birthday’, but just change the words. When they get up in the morning, you can sing the mantra to your child and have them sing one to you. The mantra should be about each other; such as saying I love you in the morning or telling each other how great the other is.
There is really no exact way to do this. Feel free to come up with even more songs, or poems; as long as they encourage your child in what makes them so special.
2. The Positive Trait Game
Another activity that you can do with your child, that will not only boost their self-esteem, but also help in building his or her vocabulary, is the positive trait game. This is a fun way for you and your child to tell each other the things you like about each other, or the positive traits you see in them. What makes this game fun, is that the positive trait must begin with a certain letter of the alphabet.
The positive trait game is a wonderful way to teach your kid to think positive thoughts and to acknowledge the traits and talents that make him or her unique. This is also a great way to make sure that he or she will grow up knowing where his or her strengths lie.
3. Find Activities they Enjoy Doing
It is good to introduce new activities to them so they can find out which ones they enjoy and feel they are good at. One great way to do this, is through summer programs, where they have all kinds of things for kids to do. For instance, if he is good with drawing and crayons, it does not mean that he will not be good in music. It’s ok if they don’t like something at first, you may just need to encourage them to try it for a few more weeks to make sure.
Either way, if they really don’t want to continue, at least they were able to try something new and learn a little about it. By allowing them to explore different things, they will find out what they love to do and what they are really good at; this is a wonderful way to boost their self-confidence early in life. Childhood is a wonderful time in life and by allowing your child to enjoy activates, they will become even more adventurous and open to learning new things.
