Boost Your Child’s Confidence (Seven Ways)

A child’s self-esteem is rooted in an understanding of his or her value. A child’s self-confidence is rooted in his or her abilities. Both of these things begin at home. Little by little, over the daily course of life, parents have a huge bearing on both the esteem and confidence of their child(ren).

I just read through a book called 52 Simple Ways To Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem and Confidence by Jan Dargatz.

Here are seven ideas I thought I would share with you today!

Let them help make family decisions

Inviting your child to help make family decisions help them feel like an important member of the family. It helps them feel like they have ownership. It teaches them good decisions making skills and helps them learn how to respond to a situation in which their choice isn’t picked. Asking your child for age appropriate input on family issues is a huge confidence builder! It maybe as simple as asking what they would like for dinner to where the family might go on vacation. But it can also be larger issues as they grow older.

Take time to answer questions

Questions are an important part of growing up. How will they learn if they don’t ask. Set your devices aside and encourage questions. Develop times for your child to have you full attention so questions can arise freely without structure. And teach your child to ask great questions.

Teach basic skills

Since 80% of what a child learns comes from home (made up statistic), most of this happens naturally. But here are four areas that are important for a child to grasp while they are young: 1) cooking, 2) household chores, 3) saving money and 4) first aid. Cooking is not only a great way to spend time together, but it’s also a life skill that will pay huge dividends. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but just simple time spent in the kitchen will help a child learn to follow recipes, learn to measure, keep track of ingredients and to be creative and organized. Household chores provide a child with a sense of belonging and understanding of working together. Saving money is a huge aspect to a quality life and first aid doesn’t take much to teach and gives kids a different kind of confidence.

Delight in his/her creations

No one can spoil a child by taking delight. Enjoy the creations, the creativity and skill of kids. Respond with “wow” to their art. Take time to look them in the eyes and let them know how funny their story was, how great the song was or how much fun it was to watch them play.

Be your child’s historian

Keep track of your child’s growth and life with stories. Have plenty of uplifting stories about “When you were little, you used to…” Share these stories with family and if they are good ones, with friends, too. Keep track of important dates in the lives of your kids.

Try new experiences

One awesome way to help build your child’s confidence is to try new experiences together. When you’re trying something new, your child picks up on your brave behaviors and exploring attitudes. Travel to a new place. Read new things. Try new foods. Visit unique places. New experiences will become a treasure trove for your child and his or her memory bank.

Pray, read, give and worship

Sharing your faith in Christ is the single more important thing you can do. Pray with and for your child. Read the Bible with your kids. Give to the church and teach your children to do the same. And worship together as a family.

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KID’S MUSIC

Listen to the Harvest “fun songs” album on Spotify!