| Parenting:Boost your child’s confidence | Send to a friend |
| Saturday, 14 January 2012 20:36 |
|
(Summary) A child with self-confidence does not hesitate to try new things, make friends and has stronger ties with you and others By Neema Arnold There are so many things that give children’s confidence a knock. It can be at home, or at school, the level of child self-confidence is often the result of the conditioning of their environment, especially by the parents. Childhood and the teenage years are the period when an individual develops their confidence. The conditioning of self-confidence during that period is often so strong that it will be brought into adulthood and possibly the rest of their lives. Be a good role model Parents are the biggest role models of children. A child will pick up the habits, language, actions and quirks of the parents. Children are often less exposed to the outside world, thus they will look to the parents to learn how to act, think and respond to the environment around them. If a parent shows low self-confidence when taking action, communicating, making decisions etc, the child will pick it up. So firstly, you’ve got to be a good role model to your children. Encourage them Naturally children meet many unknowns, new experiences and ‘first-times’. In this sense, children basically start from zero. They have never tried many things and are usually protected and dependent on the parents. So, it is important that children are always encouraged during their first few tries of a new experience. No matter how simple the task may seem to us, such as sweeping the floor or tying shoelaces, during the first dozen tries children will probably find it to be a real challenge. So keep in mind to always encourage children and never ever make her feel inadequate. Encourage children to try things that they have not experienced before. By facilitating and encouraging children to try new things, you are training your child to not be afraid of the unknown. The more new things they try, the more confident they become of facing things that are new and unknown. And the more new experiences they have, even more child self-confidence will be developed. Examples are letting them try different sports/games, attend different types of classes, playing with animals, and taking them to different places. Make no comparisons By not making any comparisons of your child to his siblings or other children, you send the message to him that he is unique. That he does not need to be like anyone, or do anything to prove their worth to the parents or the world. There is nothing that enhances confidence more than total acceptance of oneself. Trust them Showing trust in your child is a great confidence booster for children. Show that you trust them by giving them responsibility and not controlling them too much. When children are allowed to do things, this tells them that they are capable of doing it. Examples of trusting your child is by allowing her to do simple things such as purchasing something from the store, taking care of younger siblings etc. Choose a task that is new to them, requires some skill and responsibility and safe. In a nutshell, believe in your child and show it - let her know he or she's a worthwhile, lovable individual. Give praise and positive feedback - your child measures her worth and achievements by what you think of her. Acknowledge your child's feelings - and help her express them verbally. Criticise behaviour, not your child - it's very easy to fall into this trap, but too much criticism tells your child she's a bad person and is causing things to happen because of her own stupidity. Respect your child's interests, even if they seem boring to you - take a genuine interest in your child's friends, and what's happening at school, and comment to show you're listening. Encourage independence - encourage your child to take chances and try new things. Succeeding gives a huge boost to confidence, and sometimes your child will need to learn by her mistakes. Laugh with your child - never at her. ENDS Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
Latest News
Most Read
Gallery