As the saying goes, kids are our country’s future leaders, and the decisions they make today will affect society in the years to come. However, it’s not just our children’s future that is at stake – many parents feel their children have an essential role to play in their community as well.
It is important for a child to feel empowered. To be confident in their abilities and how they present themselves to those around them. They are much more likely to focus better on all aspects of their lives if they are confident that society will accept their actions.
So, what are these factors in building a child’s confidence?
1. Full Support
A parent’s most significant contribution to their children’s lives is unconditional support. A child needs to feel that you will always be there for them no matter what happens. This is not just in the big times, such as when they face a significant trial or event, but it’s also essential when dealing with small challenges on a day-to-day basis.
Support your child in:
- Schoolwork or other activities they are doing.
- Activities they choose, such as sports and clubs.
- Decisions, likes, and dislikes.
- Good or bad events happen in their lives.
- Personality and individual differences.
- Problem or difficulty in coping with life.
- When they’re bullied or harassed
- Their friendships (i.e., who they hang out with).
- Their understanding of themselves, others, and the world around them (i.e., developing an ability to put yourself in other people’s shoes).
In this way, their confidence levels will rise, as they feel they have a stable and consistent support system. Be there for your kids!
2. Unconditional love
Just as important as a parent’s support is their love for the child. Children need to know that no matter what, regardless of the mistakes they make, you will always love them. It is one of the most critical factors in building your young child’s confidence and self-esteem.
Give your children plenty of love and affection, such as affectionate smiles, hugs, and kisses.
Spend time with your child. Let your children know that the more time you spend with them, the more they need to rely on you. It lets them know that they are at their most important place at home.
Give your child the time and attention they need. Spending particular one-on-one time with each child can be invaluable for building self-esteem; this is the best way to assess what your child needs and wants.
3. Teach with care
It’s easy to become impatient. Often, we want to see quick results from our kids’ efforts, and we expect them to “get it” quickly. And if they do not, we feel upset and disappointed – not knowing what else to do.
Teach them with care and be patient. React in positive ways when they don’t reach their goals. Let them learn in their own time and way.
What are the things you should teach your child to build confidence?
- Self-control: Self-control is vastly essential to a child’s growth, from learning when and how to speak to remaining calm when another child seeks attention or makes a fuss.
- Self-reliance: When your children can do things for themselves, they will build confidence and reach for more opportunities by themselves – things that were previously out of reach because you did everything for them.
- Self-motivation: There is no better way for a child to build confidence in himself than by having a goal that he can work towards. As mentioned before, if your children do not see immediate results from their efforts, they will not grow in confidence in themselves. Give them realistic goals and let them know how much they have done to achieve them.
- Self-esteem: Children who cannot perform one task or learn something you teach them – will quickly lose confidence and won’t want to try again. Give your children the time they need to learn and practice what you will teach them.
- Responsibility: Children who have to be responsible for their actions and state of mind build confidence in themselves by being self-reliant and understanding that they are accountable for their feelings, thoughts, and moods.
- Conversational skills: One of the most crucial building blocks in communicating effectively with others is confidence – which is developed by speaking up for yourself.
Your child will become confident and ready to be in the world by learning this.
4. Praise and Encouragement
Confidence directly results from the praise and encouragement your child receives from you.
In many cases, parents can be an enormous disappointment or embarrassment for their children as they grow up. Often, we fail to learn to appreciate our children for who they are. This may put us in a position where we cannot reward them freely for everything they do or attempt to motivate them with praise and encouragement. But the truth is, this is one of the most significant challenges our children face today – and what we teach them about self-esteem and confidence shapes their future.
How do we build confidence in our children, then?
- Encourage all their efforts, from little things to big ones.
- Your child’s progress and achievements are more important than the size of their gift or the decisions they make. (You can achieve this by paying attention and praising them for good behavior regardless of how small the deeds maybe.)
- Make your praise sincere; your children will understand it and be encouraged by it.
- Make sure your words are true and that they come from a place of honesty and sincerity. Say affirmations to them, such as: “You can do it” or “I know you can do this.” Tell them what you love about them – this will help build their confidence in themselves!
- Be honest with your children (this will keep them grounded in the reality of what they can accomplish.)
5. Let them discover new things on their own
This is an important technique to help your child with any uncertainty. Find some time to play imagination games with your child, who is not too young or too old. Let them imagine what they could do in the future, what they might be doing in this task they’re doing now, or they might be doing something else entirely at another time of the day in the future.
Through their own words and thoughts, let them explore all of their other possible futures. As they do this, they will begin to have more clarity in their mind and a vision of what could happen in the future.
6. Give age-appropriate tasks
Every age and stage of life has its own set of skills. Remember, little ones develop at their own pace, so to tell them that they have to know this specific skill by when may not be the best thing for them. In the same way, telling older kids that tasks are too easy or that they need to do more of the same things over and over again is a waste of time.
Helps that a child needs:
- Help them work toward something: Your child must know what they’re trying to achieve. It’s also essential to give them some incentive or reward for completing the task you set together.
- Help them solve challenges: Encourage your children to develop their solutions to problems they face. They must learn the difference between a good idea and a bad idea.
- Find the balance: Sometimes, children need to relax and have fun, but they also need to be challenged. Find the right balance, so both of these things work effectively together.
7. Let them take the lead
In order to increase self-confidence in your child, one of the essential things you can do as a parent is to allow them to take the lead. Allow them to be in charge of their lives and decisions. You can do this by taking some of your control away and giving them more power over their own choices, preferences, and ways of doing things. As your child grows in confidence and feels more empowered, they will begin to make more effective decisions and be confident in themselves as an individual.
But be there to guide them when they experience challenges.
As young children get older and begin to learn to make decisions independently, they begin to do things much differently from when they were younger. They develop a more mature understanding of the world and how things work around them. As a result, their approaches to problems will change and become more independent. It is an essential part of your little child’s development because it means that you won’t have to do everything for them anymore.
Final Thoughts
As a parent, you play a significant role in your child’s development of confidence. The more you help them develop their confidence, the better shape they will be in to begin their adult lives. And as your children grow and develop, don’t forget to raise them with the right attitude about themselves so that they can move on from where they once were and become stronger in their abilities as time goes on.
In addition, remember that developing self-confidence is not an overnight process that happens in just one or two years. It takes time and effort to build. And the more you help your child grow in confidence, the more they will be able to stand up in those challenging times.
We at NY Baby Steps are with you in this journey to help your child develop self-confidence, and we hope you enjoy reading the tips and strategies that we have provided here.
If you have concerns or questions about care for your child, we would be honored to help. Please dial us at 347-644-5528 for Rego Park or 347-960-8334 for Forest Hills.
