How to Ensure Your Children Are Confident from an Early Age #parenting #confidence #kids #selfesteem
Confidence is a skill that can greatly enrich our lives at any age.
However, it is particularly important in our younger years.
After all, confidence comes hand in hand with self-belief, which means that children are then more open to trying new things or stepping outside of their comfort zone.
In doing so, they are then able to develop skills rapidly, whether that is at home, nursery, or school.
In addition, confident children tend to be better communicators, which can help your child make friends.
With that in mind, here are some steps that you can take to ensure that your children are confident from an early age.
Let them know how much they are loved.
Letting your little one know how much they are loved and cherished is one of the easiest ways to boost their self-esteem.
This simply comes down to the fact that it makes them feel special!
There are, of course, many ways in which you can achieve this goal - such as by starting and ending each day by telling them you love them.
Spending quality time with your children is similarly useful, as it shows them that they are surrounded by constant support and kindness.
Make sure to offer praise.
Praise plays a key role in the development of your child’s confidence and self-esteem.
In addition to this, it shows them that they are often “rewarded” when learning a new skill and rising above challenges, which means that they are then likely to do so more often.
However, you should make sure that you offer praise consistently, not only when they tackle the big stuff.
For example, you should let them know that you are proud of them when they wait their turn in a queue instead of pushing in, or when they apologise to their sibling as opposed to carrying on the fight.
While there are occasions in which telling your children off is necessary, you should make sure that you do not become overly critical or harsh.
This would otherwise harm their confidence moving forward. Remember, you should be their biggest supporter in all areas, not their harshest critic.
Enroll them in sports.
Enrolling your little one in age-appropriate sport classes, such as toddler football classes, can also prove instrumental in elevating their confidence.
This is because it can help them to develop a wide range of skills, while also showing them that they can do anything they set their mind to.
Team-based sports, such as football, can also help them to build stronger relationships with their peers, which will also leave them feeling much more confident moving forward.
Help them to practice self-care.
Children are experiencing life’s big emotions, such as anxiety and sadness, for the very first time, and it can be hard for them to figure out how to approach these feelings.
This can have a negative impact on both their overall well-being and their confidence.
One way in which you can support them during this time is by helping them to practice self-care. Self-care activities for children could include:
- Screen-free activities, such as playing outside, reading or going for a walk
- Getting enough sleep or going to bed at the same time each evening
- Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables and looking after their growing bodies
- Journaling or writing in a diary about how they are feeling
Host plenty of play dates.
Social interaction, especially with those their own age, plays a key role in the development of a child’s abilities and confidence. As such, you should host regular playdates at your home.
This will help your child to develop a host of skills, while also providing you with the opportunity to make other mum friends!
Let them know that it is perfectly OKAY to make mistakes.
Mistakes will always knock back our confidence a little, especially as children.
However, by teaching them that mistakes are not only okay but a part of life, you can help to reduce the negative impact these errors have on their confidence moving forward.
For example, you should work closely with them to reframe the way in which they view mistakes, making sure that they instead view them as a learning opportunity.
This way, not only will they feel better about themselves, but they are also less likely to make the same mistake twice.
You can also ensure that they are less fearful of making mistakes by showing them that you (and others in their lives) make mistakes too.
While you don’t necessarily have to go into great detail in this regard, you could say things like: Today, Mummy made a mistake by ___. But that’s okay, because it meant I learnt ___.
Keep an eye out for negative comments they make about themselves.
As children deal with confidence issues, you may notice that they start to make negative comments about themselves or their abilities.
For example, they may say that they are bad at drawing and don’t want to do it anymore, even though it was one of their favorite hobbies previously.
If this is something that you pick up on, you should do two things.
1. Gently challenge that negative belief.
Using the example outlined above, you could say that they are actually very good at drawing and give specific reasons why.
For example, you could say that they are very creative when coming up with ideas, or that they always colour in between the lines, or that you love hanging their work on the fridge.
2. Figure out why they may be feeling that way.
Helping your child to get to the root of their negative feelings can also help when it comes to rebuilding their confidence.
For example, it could be that they are feeling that way because someone in their preschool made a nasty comment, or because they simply want to get better.
Be confident in yourself.
Children tend to emulate the way in which their parents act, speak and behave.
As such, by working on improving your own confidence levels, you’ll be supporting your children on their way to becoming confident from an early age, just like their mum.
Start your days with positive affirmations.
Encouraging your child to start their day off with positive affirmations can help them to develop a healthy and positive mindset.
This, in turn, will help them to grow in confidence as they get older.
While they may find this a little odd at first, tell them to stand in front of a mirror each morning and say 2-3 positive things about themselves out loud. Give them examples such as:
- I am always ready to learn
- I am kind to my friends
- I am growing big and strong
- I can run really fast
- I have a great imagination
- I always say please and thank you
Help them find hobbies they enjoy.
Hobbies, especially during childhood, can be particularly useful when it comes to growing in confidence and self-esteem.
This is because it helps your children develop a wide range of skills, all of which will leave them feeling much better about themselves moving forward.
Remember that finding a hobby they genuinely enjoy can be a case of trial and error.
For example, it could be that they try out a sport that they end up not liking. Try not to disparage them for this, and make it clear that you will keep hunting until you find something they like.
Encourage them to talk openly and honestly about how they are feeling.
Encouraging your children to talk openly and honestly about how they are feeling can also help when it comes to building their confidence. There are many potential reasons for this.
Firstly, as referenced above, it means that you can uncover the root of their self-esteem issues, meaning that you can begin to help them through whatever is troubling them.
Talking openly about feelings and emotions also encourages children to accept all aspects of their personality, while also acknowledging that it is okay not to be okay.
Again, this is a habit that is best learned through seeing their parents do it first.
This means that you should always be candid with your children, and you should let them know when you have had a bad day.
While you should make sure that you always keep the conversations age-appropriate, your honesty will go a long way in encouraging them to be more forthcoming with their own emotions.
This will also help them to become more empathic individuals, as they will be able to understand when others, such as their peers, may not be feeling great.
Final thoughts.
In short, there are many steps that you can take to ensure that your children are confident from an early age.
This will help them to grow from loud and confident toddlers to children who are not afraid to try something new or stand up for themselves.
It also means that they are much more likely to perform while in school and will have no issues making friends.
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