Are you looking for ideas on how to build self-esteem and self-confidence in your kid? Well, this building confidence in kids is challenging for most parents- you aren’t alone in this. That is why this article seeks to help parents like you by suggesting 5 self-esteem building activities for kids.
The key to developing your little one’s self-esteem is encouraging them to embrace challenges. It is about teaching them the art of learning from mistakes instead of admitting failure when they are unable to beat challenges. You need to encourage the kid to try different approaches to problem-solving and not to ever give up. Being ready to answer thought-provoking questions from your kid will also go a long way boosting their confidence. Allowing them to try new things and make mistakes will boost their ability to overcome mistakes and accomplish tasks on their own.
With that in mind, let’s now dive right in and explore 5 self-esteem building activities that are the key to unlocking your child’s self-esteem.
1. “I am” chart-making
There must be something your kid loves about herself, an achievement she is proud of, or something she aspires to be when she grows up. There are also things she is embarrassed about in her life; things that could potentially harm her confidence. Create an environment that allows her to freely talk about the shortfalls that she would love to improve on, and then make an effort to assist her overcome those pitfalls. But that is not enough. You need to build on the things she is proud of.
Ask her to list down all the achievements she has had in her life, her positive attributes, and the careers she would love to pursue later in life. Encourage her to focus only on the positives and forget about the negative things people have said about her. Use the words and phrases she listed to create an “I am” chart. You can paste a photo of the child in the center to make it more personal. Such a chart should be filled with positive words that the kid can relate to- that describe her. When the chart is ready, now hang it on her bedroom wall to serve as her constant reminder that she is great, she has done great things before, and she is destined for greatness.
2. Recipe-making
This is a great way of encouraging mistakes so that you can use those mistakes to teach the kid the importance of attempting to take on new challenges. When a kid starts to see mistakes as learning opportunities and not failures, they will be bolder to get out of their comfort zones and inspire change.
In this particular activity, invest in some little kitchen remodeling project to make the kitchen desk appropriate for your kid, and ask them to write down an ingredient list for making pancakes and specify the quantities needed for each ingredient. It is okay to supervise the process just to be sure that nothing dangerous happens, but be very careful not to interfere. Remember that they are experimenting and experiments don’t have to be perfect.
Once the pancakes are done (or whatever she was making), taste it together and comment on the taste. The kid is likely to ask you what she could have done differently in order to make the pancakes taste better. Help her modify the recipe without being harsh or judgmental and then encourage her to try again.
3. Focus on the outdoors
Go with the kid outside of your urban neighborhood and take part in all sorts of outdoor activities. Be his number one cheerleader when he plays soccer with his peers in the outskirts of your city. Instead of letting him play video games in front of your TV screen all day, encourage him to accompany you in the next hiking or camping trip. Invest in an ebike kit to make cycling a newer and more entertaining experience Allow him to spend as much time as possible playing outside or hanging out with adult relatives.
4. Community service
Help your kid develop new skills and try new activities by discouraging laziness and encouraging them to be active in community programs. If there is a function at the church and there is a suitable role for her, let her take it. If there is a scouts group in her school, encourage her to join. If you have organized a cleanup exercise in the neighborhood, go with her. Anything that shows her the importance of collaborating with other people for a common good will help her overcome the fear she has around other people.
5. Household chores
This is pretty straightforward: Showing the kid that you trust him with household chores will give him the confidence to take on greater responsibility. Allow him to own a dog, for example, and put him in charge of the dog’s feeding program, training, and evening walks. That will help improve his opinion of himself.
6. Bonding Activities
At this time of Covid-19, while in quarantine, you can sign up for an online course together, such as watercolour painting. It would be great if you could pick up a course that neither of you know how to do. Going through the challenges together, will help your kid understand that even adults make mistakes, and struggle with picking up new skills, which can be exceptionally encouraging, and self-esteem bolstering for them. If you’re spending a lot of time on the internet, and your connection is jammed with a lot of people using it, you can invest in a Wi-Fi extension, such as Raspberry pi 4, to effectively follow the lessons at all times.
Conclusion
The key to developing your child’s self-esteem is constantly encouraging them to take on new challenges and teaching them the art of learning from their mistakes. Remember to offer guidance without interfering too much in his/her actions or decisions, not unless they are in danger.