Some tips for building a Childs Self Esteem

Parents are very powerful figures in the life of any child. First of all, they are responsible for conceiving the child and for bringing that child into this world so everything that comes after there will still be held somewhat responsible. The mother best of all has a special emotional connection with her children while fathers are mostly the ones who deal with practical things in raising children. A perfect relationship between parents and children will be when the parents are role models of providing love and support within the family while the children are obedient but to a certain degree also independent in living their lives. In this world however there is no such thing as perfect but this should not stop us from trying to build an ideal relationship. There can always be a health compromise but the most important thing that parents should remember is that the times when the children are still young is the only time they can make the biggest impact. The children are innately obedient and loving towards their parents so it is up to the parents to use this advantage in instilling good things to their children so they grow up to be good and strong willed individuals. One thing that parents can help a child build is their childrens self esteem. Parents should also be aware that aside from being crucial to building a childs self esteem, it is so easy to damage their self esteem if parents do not deal with their children properly. Parents can contribute in developing positive feelings of self worth in their children by helping them in a lot of aspects including the social and academic factors. Let us look some tips that will help the parents out there to build their childrens self esteem. Constant and sincere appreciation will make your child feel special. Most parents tend to only communicate with their children if they need something from them or if they need to correct them in whatever they are doing. This is not a good practice. Parents should take the time to talk to their children about good things that they have done. Make sure that whatever you say is sincere and appropriate. Do not over praise because as in anything else too much praising can bring out a negative result. When you really need to comment on something bad, do not be judgmental instead phrase your comment in a positive form. Your children may not be mature but they know when they are simply being corrected without explanation. Offer a reason why they are being corrected or better yet work with your children to arrive at a solution to make things better so such a situation will not happen again. If you have children with learning disability, make sure that you very well understand the nature of your childrens problem and vow to closely work with teachers and other important people to make her environment friendly to her despite her disability. All these things are not full proof shields against possible crushing of self esteem but it will help them deal with the harsh realities of like with a perspective that they are tough and can meet challenges head on. They may fail but they will get back on their feet faster than everyone else.

Developing Self Esteem During Childhood

The building of self-esteem starts in childhood. This means that as parents you have a responsibility to help your son or daughter to have a healthy self-image of him or herself. A healthy self-image is the cornerstone of good self-esteem. How important is self-esteem in a child's development? Developing self-esteem during childhood is very crucial. This is because it could affect the child in every stages of his or her development. How he looks at him or herself will definitely affect his or her future relationships, career development, confidence, prosperity and even happiness. Studies have shown that one of the traits happy people share is having a positive self-image of themselves. How does a parent that his or her child has a healthy self-image? There are several ways to do this. Below are just some of the things you can do to develop your child's self-esteem. Never compare your child with other children The single most devastating thing a parent can do to ruin his or her child's self-esteem is to compare him or her with other children. Unfortunately, comparisons are very much a part of our culture particularly our schooling system. One of the ways a child gets compared to other children is through peer pressure. Every child knows that there is tremendous pressure from other children, particularly from the ones in school to conform to the ways of a certain group. That is why in school you can see several cliques and these groups can be identified with different labels. There are the jocks, the jerks, the nerd or geek, the addict, the slut, etc. These groups are inherently not bad but oftentimes group's identity precedes the individual's identity which could lead into a loss in identity and eventually low self-esteem. To most adults these are just groups and labels but for a young innocent child the cliques are their world. Your child intentionally or not gets labeled and his or her tendency to is group with the ones with similar ideas and interests. Always praise and encourage your children When you talk to your child, always remember to use positive and encouraging words. If your child has done something praiseworthy then do not hold back on the kind and beautiful words. Doing so will do wonders for your kid's self esteem. It does not matter whether the act is big or small. If he did something good then praise him for it. There is nothing more discouraging than the feeling of not being appreciated for the things that you have done. Praising and encouraging children provides them with a positive self image of themselves. For them, it means that they are important enough for you to notice and recognize their achievements in life. By constantly giving kind encouraging words to children, you can ensure that they will grow healthy psychologically. Of course if they did something wrong, children should be reprimanded. But should do it in a way that it won't hurt their ego and damage their esteem. Whenever they have done something that is less than d desirable always make it clear to them that you are not in favor with the deed and not with them. Remember, developing your child's self-esteem is very important in his or her progress. Just follow the guidelines to make sure that your kid will grow up mature emotionally and mentally.

Activities in building self-esteem in children

One of the main issues that parents must deal with when raising a kid is their self-concept and self-esteem. Teaching our kids to value themselves and their talents can be a tricky thing to do as 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 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 childs independent spirit and foster too much dependence. Although self-esteem can be developed anytime in a persons life, it is good to start early and train your child to trust in what they can do and to embrace their individual talents. Below are some activities that you can do with your child that can help them increase their levels of self-esteem. Self-affirming statements Talking to yourself in front of the mirror and telling yourself what a great person you are can be a bit childish for a grown-up to do but not for a child. And even if it seems childish, the practice is quite effective in boosting our self-esteem. And you dont even have to stick to the mirror process. You can create your own as long as you stick to the basic, which is the saying of self-affirming statements. Create a mantra that your child can easily remember. Every morning, tell your child the mantra and have your child tell hers to you. The statements need not even be something about the self but 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. You can create your own variations as long as the essence of affirming oneself is there. The positive trait game Another activity that you can do with your child that will not only boost her self-esteem but also help in building his or her vocabulary is the positive trait game. In this game, you wll each tell each other the positive traits that one sees in the other. The catch is that the trait should start in a specific 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. Do activities that they love Encourage them to try out new things so that they will discover their talents and abilities. Enroll them in different summer classes and be open to all kinds of things. For instance, if he is good with drawing and crayons, it does not mean that he will not be good in music. So dont discount music lessons as part of his summer curriculum. Anyhow, if he does not like it, at least he has learned something new. Helping them discover the things that they love to do and the things that they are good at is a great way to boost their self esteem early on. After all, when children are enjoying what they are doing, they become very enthusiastic and they are open to developing their skills further.