It's often been said that children learn by example. So if you want your child to build a positive self-image, value, and esteem you need to lead by example. Be positive in the way you speak about yourself and always highlight your strengths but still acknowledge your weaknesses because we're all human and can't be perfect. This will teach our children that it's okay to be proud of ourselves and love ourselves for who we are.
How To Build A Child's Self-Esteem
What I find working in our house right now is honesty and positive praise. It is simple to find one thing to thank your kid for each and every day or acknowledge a task they've completed and let them know they've done a good job. Show your children that positive acts merit positive praise and attention that way when they misbehave and you aren't praising them but instead ignore their actions they'll quickly change.
We like to have a family meeting once a week where anything goes, the only rule is what happens in the meeting stays in the meeting. Giving everyone a safe place to share their feelings good or bad has really helped us build a strong family bond. Each of us has the opportunity to communicate changes we need to make in order to be happier and have more fun. We bring the bucket exercise into our daily routine so we can leave little notes for each other and be bucket fillers in our homes and community!
I am a firm believer in goals and SMART goal setting, ask Cheyenne she'll tell you all about it. Starting off with small projects broken down into simple tasks so they can have the feeling of accomplishment is the best way to transition them into goal setting. From there you can pick age-appropriate tasks for your child and give them praise along the way as they reach the milestones!
Most importantly take the time to tell your children I love you each and every day! It can be at bedtime, when they wake up or a cute note in their lunch box or coat pocket. We make a fun game out of this and send each other messages or videos all the time!
Building a child's self-esteem is easy if you lead by example!
What's your best tip on how to build self-esteem?