10 simple ways to improve the self-esteem of our children
The self esteem it is the perception we have of ourselves. Possessing a good self-esteem is the armor that will give us strength in the future to face the adversities and build it in a strong way since childhood is fundamental. We spend most of our time trying to get our children to behave themselves, eat their food or do their homework. But, How much time do we dedicate to improving their self-esteem?
Children who have a High self-steem They are optimistic, they smile easily and are better able to resolve conflicts and resist negative pressures. On the other hand, when Self-esteem is low, children are more prone to frustration, depression and passivity. And all because they have a low opinion of themselves and have negative self-critical thoughts like "I can not do well, or I'm not good enough".
It is very important to know that the self-esteem patterns They start very early in life. The reinforcement of self-esteem is acquired as a result of perseverance after several failed attempts, but it is also combined with the feeling of being loved. For this reason, parents have a lot to do in strengthening our children's self-esteem and that is why it is important to know how to boost children's self-esteem.
10 ways to strengthen children's self-esteem
Here are 10 very simple ways to get it.
1. Never laugh at their ideas, however eccentric they may be
As happens to adults, children want to be taken seriously. When they think that they are making fun of them, their instinct is to get angry, to collapse and not have any more idea for fear that they will laugh at them again. After all, children see the world differently from ours. You may be surprised at what you hear once you show your child that you are listening to him and that you take his ideas very seriously.
2. Engage them in situations they are not used to
If they always tread on insurance, there will be no way for them to feel proud of themselves and when they have no choice but to face new experiences and new environments (university, work, etc.), instead of deluding them they can provoke anxiety. The only way to be comfortable in a certain environment is if you have first experienced an initial discomfort. So encourage them to leave their "comfort zone" frequently and experience new things. They will be surprised how well they develop and will end up feeling more confident.
3. Encourage them to play an instrument
While it is not good to force our children to practice our hobbies or meet our goals, playing an instrument distributes too many benefits to be able to ignore them. When they are old enough to be able to start practicing, encourage them to learn to play a musical instrument to release stress (yes, children also get stressed) and improve their self-esteem in an amazing way.
4. Let them participate in the kitchen
Most children are more interested in eating than in preparing food, but you will be surprised how a first contact can change this fact. If you invite him one day to make cookies or help prepare a cake, you will see how he will begin to ask you to let him help you more times. He will feel more useful (which will significantly increase his self-esteem) and you can count on a new assistant to download a bit of all the work that is feeding your family. You all win!
5. Celebrate your successes
You do not have to give them a trophy every time they eat a plate of vegetables, but if each small achievement is matched with a small "prize" (it can only be a few words, a song, a chuche ...) your child will feel that you value their efforts and learn that, although sometimes it costs more than doing things wrong, doing what we owe is worth it. And the best thing is that young children are satisfied with the most stupid prizes; my nieces we make the wave when they eat everything to the end and without help. It seems silly but knowing that in the end they will have this small reward motivates them to try harder.
6. Let them teach you something
Few things motivate a child more than making them believe that they know something that you do not. Anything is worth: a magic trick, a song on the piano, the superpower of a hero of your favorite series ... Encourage them to share what they know with others (without strutting) and especially with you. Show your amazement for what I tell you and congratulate you. They will take pleasure in learning new things and will have more confidence in themselves.
7. Encourage your creativity
According to some studies, many people who are creative do not consider that they are creative because nobody ever encouraged them to be creative. It is not about getting all children to end up being Picassos or Beethovens, we also need lawyers, police and astronauts. But encouraging their creativity will help them in the future, work on what they do and boost brain development.Not only should you encourage them to paint or listen to or practice music, you can also ask them what I thought would happen next when you are reading a story to use your imagination.
8. Be sure of yourself
Sometimes we forget that a large part of what children learn is by example. Sometimes the ways of being seem hereditary because of how much parents and children can look like in the way of speaking or acting, but the reality is that almost everything is a product of coexistence. If you show your insecurities to your young child, you may end up having them too. Behave in front of him with confidence and confidence in yourself and most likely learn it.
9. Encourage them to talk about their problems
Many times children spend times in which they are more defensive, very susceptible or in a bad mood. Instead of letting your state of mind cause conflicts at home, try to find out what the problem is and ask directly if there is something that worries you. Sometimes because of shame or fear they do not dare to talk about their problems and they get bigger and begin to undermine their self-esteem. Teach them that they can count on you when things go wrong and that whatever it is you will not judge them. Only if you have confidence in you can tell you what happens and you can teach to solve it. You will appreciate having done this in time when adolescence arrives.
10. Let them fail
Knowing how to win is something more instinctive, but learning to lose or dealing with failure is not an easy task, especially when they are small. Teach them from the first moment that nothing is lost and that mistakes and failures are learned. As practice makes perfect, they are likely to be losers until they have experienced failure several times. You make sure you encourage them when they lose and explain that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. Winning is always boring!
Many parents help their children with everything even when they do not need it and have not asked for their help. It is a very common mistake that must be avoided if we want our children to become capable and self-confident people. Neither should we spare the "suffering" of failure or protect them from situations that bother them. Let them try things they do not like, stumble, fall ... I assure you that although it may not seem like it, you will be winning the "mother of the year" award.
Marga Wesolowsky
