- Reflect positivity onto themselves.
- Spend time with them.
- Be realistic.
- Get their creativity flowing.
- Let some mistakes happen.
- Highlight their strengths.
Personal confidence is what leads us to success, independence, and happiness. As a parent, there are several steps you can take to encourage the growth of confidence in your child. After all, self-assurance starts at home, where they absorb first and foremost your reactions to good and bad situations, learning directly from their family members. Let's see which steps you as the parent can take to nudge your kid towards a confident life!
Reflect positivity onto themselves
All kids look up to their parents and their opinions. So if you talk positively about your child, they will, in return, think positively about themselves. No matter if your child’s talents and abilities, if you believe in them, they will believe in themselves!
Spend time with them
A great way to bond with your kid is during their favorite way to pass time - to play with them! When you’re actively involved in your child’s playtime, you’re showing that they are cherished and worth your time, which will improve their feeling of importance. It’s a great confidence booster. This, of course, applies to kids of all ages, even teens - when playtime is replaced with shopping or video games, try to find ways to spend time with them one-on-one, whether it’s going to a movie or getting pizza.
Be realistic (it’s ok to have bad days)
While it’s good to show positivity to your child, there’s nothing wrong with showing your bad days, too. Bottling your feeling up is not good for anyone, and your child should know that it’s OK to have down days and not hide their emotions, or worse, be embarrassed by them. A confident person knows that life is not all positivity all the time, but also understands the importance of getting over that “hump” and moving forward.
Get their creativity flowing
Creative hobbies are an awesome way to help your kid get out there and gain more weight to their step. After-school curricular like acting in a school play, or getting into modeling is something that will teach your kid to overcome their stage fright, and will give them an opportunity to meet and connect with new friends, thus getting their self-esteem way up!
Let some mistakes happen
It’s crucial for kids to understand that mistakes do happen, and sometimes it’s OK to fail. While every parent’s instinct is to shelter their kid from any mistakes and hurt feelings (and scraped knees), sometimes it's necessary to let them make their own mistakes. Your kid needs to learn success through overcoming failure, and if you intervene and prevent them from ever making one, how will they learn? Build your child’s confidence by giving them reassurance that they can deal with obstacles themselves.
Highlight their strengths
Remember that your child is an individual, with their own strengths and weaknesses. Try not to pressure them to succeed in a field that you deem more important than their actual interests. Just because you were gifted in mathematics as a child, doesn’t mean your kid will be, too. Carefully observe what their interests lean towards - and then help develop it! For example, if your child lights up when singing songs in front of an “audience” of stuffed animals, their strength may be in performing arts or even public speaking. In that case, KidsCasting is just the tool you need to develop your child’s creativity and talent, with auditions for various projects in acting, modeling and performing - all of them for kids of all ages! Overall, it’s very important to invest in your child’s confidence, because it’s one of the most important ingredients for a successful life. Spend time with your child, boost their creativity and teach them valuable lessons - and you’ll see how fast your child’s self-esteem will grow, and how stronger their confidence will get. And remember, a confident child is always the one who feels love and support at home, from the most important people in their life - their parents. So always remember to not only say that you love them but also show it - after all, actions speak louder than words!
