Five Steps to Raise Your Child's
Confidence This School Year
Courtesy of FeatureSource.com
Get your children ready for school with more than new books,
pencils and clothes. Silvana Clark, author of "Parent-Tested
Ways to Grow Your Child's Confidence" (Meadowbrook
Press), offers the following tips for parents to develop
children's self-esteem this school year.
1. Let your child make choices:
As school starts, children are bombarded with opportunities
to take music classes, soccer or join the chess club. Here's
the key: have your child find out the details of each activity.
A child over eight-years-old should be able to make a phone
call or read a brochure to get the necessary information
needed to make a wise choice. Younger children can make
choices regarding which item to take to pre-school on sharing
day.
2. Praise your child's accomplishments
as appropriate: There's no need to clap and cheer
if a ten-year-old uses a napkin at dinner (although there's
nothing wrong with an occasional, "Thanks for using
your napkin.") Parents sometimes feel they have to
give a standing ovation to anything their child does. This
school year, provide specific praise if your son decides
to build his own kite for the science fair. It may not soar,
but you can comment on his creative use of string and plastic
bags.
3. Relax and laugh with your
children: Children benefit from seeing adults use
humor in a positive way. So you all overslept - instead
of yelling, have a race to see who gets dressed in the quickest
time. The winner gets to choose desert at dinner. Comment
on how amazing it is that your family could oversleep and
yet get out the door in such a short amount of time. Studies
show that optimists have a higher level of self-confidence.
4. Encourage positive risk
taking: Self-confident children have the inner
fortitude to try new things even if it means a chance of
failure. Encourage your children to try out for the school
play or enter an art contest. As a family, read a book together
on a subject new to all of you. Take a fall bike ride on
an unfamiliar path, even if you don't know where you'll
end up. Children soon learn they have skills to make wise
choices when taking risks.
5. Let your children solve problems:
Do your children want to go to have the latest designer
clothes for the new school year? Have them check ads or
call stores to get the best prices. Ask them to brainstorm
ways to earn money for their name brand items. Children
develop self-confidence from solving problems appropriate
to their abilities.
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