Confidence and self-esteem starts in childhood. During our formative years, as we figure out who we are and the world around us, gaining confidence can hold us in good stead to weather life's storms. Knowing how to raise confident kids comes down to the following:
How to raise a confident child
Create a secure, loving environment
When kids feel safe and cared for in their home, it creates a foundation for dealing with what else may come their way. You can nurture this by being there for them, encouraging them to be themselves, and spending quality time together.
Celebrate effort over achievement
Praise your child for having a go at things- from learning to use the potty to riding a bike. Even if they don't get it right or make mistakes, encourage them to keep trying and celebrate the effort they make.
Teach them about emotions
Understanding emotions is important for children, so that they can recognise how they are feeling and learn how to manage difficult emotions. They can start this under the age of 5 by using our free emotions wheel.
Resilience
Resilience is vital in building a child's confidence. Knowing they can deal with disappointments and upsets creates strength. Allowing kids to make mistakes is a good tactic towards this as it shows them that they can bounce back and move on afterwards. Failure is a normal part of life and teaches us that life goes on subsequently.
Self-compassion
One of the ultimate ways in how to build a child's confidence is to teach them self-compassion. Self-compassion means being kind and sympathetic to yourself. For example, a self-compassionate response to failing a test at school could be 'I tried my best to answer the questions and did as well as I could.'
Self-compassion is also about recognising that we are human and can't be good at everything. It's also useful for recognising our needs. So, having learnt self-compassion, your child might be able to see that if they're having a tired day or feeling overwhelmed then having some calm time would be helpful.
Learning new skills
Learning new skills builds a sense of being capable in life. Learning life skills are important for building towards independence, so teaching your child things like how to make some basic foods and tidy up after themselves is important.
Trying new things also helps foster confidence. Examples of this could be going on a climbing frame, or trying new hobbies like knitting or sports. Even if they don't enjoy or succeed at things, trying them is important for confidence.
Finding their passion
Finding things that you enjoy is vital to your sense of self. The same can be said of children. Encourage them to try different things, whether it's different hobbies at home, different sports, learning an instrument, baking, reading different books, or new activities. Finding their passions helps them to build confidence and self-esteem.
Model confidence yourself
Children pick up a lot from their parents, and when you model being confident and having compassion for yourself your children will learn to do the same. Even if you don't feel confident in yourself, ensure that the way you talk about yourself in front of your children shows self-respect rather than running yourself down.
