6 Steps To Building Self-esteem In Children

Self-esteem is the foundation of how a person acts, thinks and feels about the world and themselves.

What factors make up self-esteem? Self-confidence, pride, self-sufficiency, self-respect, and independence all combine to make self-esteem. The majority of our self-esteem is developed during childhood. Especially in kids, self-esteem constantly changes as we experience different social interactions and new events.

A child with high self-esteem is the most important way to ensure his or her own personal safety. Keeping them away from physical harm comes afterward.

Positive interactions and relationships with parents, teachers, and other adults is the basis for good self-esteem in children. These adults can influence children's self-esteem by giving constructive and positive feedback to children when they accomplish a task. A "Congratulations" or "Nice job" is all it takes to build this vital skill.

But praise and positive reinforcement alone will not make children feel better automatically. Providing them with lots of love, care, and understanding is equally significant. Children who are happy and confident may still experience low self-esteem because they do not feel loved. Likewise, children who are loved and pampered at home may still feel inadequate and incompetent, thus ending up with low self-esteem. Hence, a balance of both should be present.

Even though your child may misbehave, you can still bolster their self confidence and self-esteem by explaining to them that their behavior was unacceptable, but they are still loved and accepted. When you talk to your child, there are several things you can do to effectively communicate and boost positive self-esteem.

1. Use positive words. For instance, telling a child what you would like them to do in a way that excludes words like "no" or "bad". You can help your child maintain a positive attitude by being positive yourself.

2. Let kids complete their sentences. Avoid interruptions, as these disrupt their train of thought or make them forget what they're saying. Otherwise, they'll feel as if their ideas are insignificant and not worth listening to.

3. Give eye contact Kids want attention. When you look a child right in the eye, they know you are listening. It gives them the idea that you are interested in what they have to say, even if you aren't.

4. Take turns in the conversation. Agree on who speaks first, and who speaks next. It is important for parents to encourage kids to verbalize their ideas and feelings, but to also wait for the go signal to speak. Children should be able to understand that if people talk all at the same time, they will end up understanding nothing.

5. Speak calmly, and keep irritation and a critical tone out of your voice A calm voice keeps a child from panicking. Use words that the child will comprehend. Let kids know what they need to do, and why or why not they should do something.

6. Criticism is still necessary Stressed earlier was the importance of positive comments. Criticism is required, as well. Kids must know when they are misbehaving or didn't perform up to expectations. Tell them why what or what they didn't do wasn't acceptable, and stress the importance of not doing it again.