From the day he is born, a child's self esteem is slowly developing. With the aid of his parents and siblings, he develops a sense of pride in his accomplishments. A child's self esteem is very fragile. As easily as it is developed, it can also be broken. There are several things you can do to help improve your child's sense of self worth.
Physical affection is one of the biggest confidence boosters for children. Children who are given lots of hugs, kisses and other forms of physical affection are confident that they are loved. All of these are signs, to a child, that he is worthy of affection.
Encourage your child to become involved with her community. It will give her a sense of belonging and help her feel that she is making a difference in her world. Talk to her about joining the Girl Scouts or other community organizations that strive to make a difference.
A child's self esteem can benefit from learning about his heritage and family background. This demonstrates to him that he is an individual with roots in society. Teach him about any traditions that your family may have. Show him pictures of his ancestors and share their stories. If you don't know your family's history, consider researching it on genealogical websites.
Like adults, children have emotions that need to be respected. Allow your child to tell you how something makes her feel. Let her know that, although you may not agree with it, you respect her emotions and feelings. Self esteem is boosted when the child knows that she is accepted for who she is.
Children are always facing new situations that may be difficult to handle. These problems range from arguments with friends, to being bullied at school. Although it may be tempting to fix all your child's problems for him, his self esteem will benefit if you let him work through them on his own. Offer him the guidance he needs, but step back and let him do the rest. If the situation gets out of hand, then it may be time for parental intervention.
Your child's sense of self worth can be greatly increased by giving her more responsibility at home. Daily chores makes a child feel like she has an influence in the day-to-day operations of the house. When assigning your child chores, give her flexibility to do them her way. Allow her to make decisions about the house as well, such as how to arrange her room or what color towels to hang in the bathroom.
Self esteem is all about feeling like you are an important member of society. For children, society is their family, school and peers. As a parent, you have the ability to give your child all the self esteem necessary to thrive in his society.
