What sort of kid were you? Were you shy, or have you always been outgoing?
While we’re born with certain traits that make us introverts or extroverts, it’s possible to help our children to build their confidence levels, regardless of which camp they fall into. If you want to help your little ones grow in confidence, here are some ideas to help them become more self-assured.
It’s the Trying That Matters
Winning isn’t everything. This is important to let your children know early on. While being competitive can be a positive thing, it’s putting the effort in that is most significant. This is because you learn more from trying than in winning first time.
Once your children know that investing time in something, even if they don’t win the race or achieve the end result they’d hoped for, is the thing that matters most, they are likely to build in confidence.
We Can Work it Out
This is a tough one, but letting your kids solve problems on their own can help their development. While cuddling our little ones when they fall is natural, be sure to pick them up and get them to try again rather than putting them off giving something another go.
For example, if they are wheeling around in Heelys, like these from Proline Skates, or whizzing around on a scooter and they fall, make sure they’re ok. Follow this up by letting them get back on the bike or start wheeling around again. Because they know how they fell last time, they’re more likely to have the confidence to attempt it again but in a different way.
Question Everything
While the ‘But why?’ questions can put you on the spot, it is so important for your little ones to question the world around them, and for you to encourage them to be inquisitive. Our kids are like sponges; they soak up information easily and learn fast, so by getting them to ask you questions and by asking questions of them in return, you are helping them to build their knowledge and bank the information they acquire for future reference.
Give Praise
Always tell your kids they’re doing a great job. Whether they’ve spent lots of time on a drawing or they’re putting in effort with their maths homework that they’re struggling with, tell them how brilliant they are for working so hard on something and never criticise them.
Do give constructive feedback if necessary, but do it kindly. By being enthusiastic about the tasks your kids undertake, you’re instilling a sense of accomplishment in them – even if they can’t quite grasp long division yet.
How do you encourage your kids to be confident? Do you have any tips for encouraging your confidence in children?
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