Self-confidence is important not only for adults but also for children. Building healthy self-esteem for child is crucial as it helps them deal with their environment and future challenge.
Children with healthy self-esteem can understand and appreciate themselves better than those with low self-esteem.
Parents and their parenting system take a major contribution is developing children’s self-confidence. Giving motivation, encouragement, and praise is among effective ways to boost confidence in children.
Whether your kid has a problem with confidence or you simply need an insight, learn more about self-esteem for child below!
What Is Self-esteem?
The term self-esteem is often associated with psychology. It’s true because self-esteem is closely related to human personality. In psychology, it can be described as a sense of personal value or self-worth. That means how much you value and appreciate yourself.
Self-esteem for child is similar to adults. It includes the feeling of accepted and liked, feeling confident and proud, thinking good about themselves, and believing in their ability. Unlike adults, children with high or low self-worth can be easily noticed.
There are many factors that influence a child’s personal value. It may include age, inner thinking, achievement, physical limitation, disabilities, and potential illnesses.
Despite genetic factors takes a contribution in shaping self-confidence for children, experience takes more.
Why Self-esteem Is Important In Child Development?
Self-esteem plays a significant role in shaping a child’s success. Healthy self-esteem is inline with the best parenting style that parents conduct.
It can help children achieve their success because they believe in themselves to reach their goals. Meanwhile, low self-esteem holds them back from succeeding.
Children who have good feeling about themselves are confident to try new things. It helps them explore their environment and get new experience for better mental development.
Personal value in children helps them cope with mistakes. They will be more challenged to try again after failure.
On the other hand, the effects of low self-esteem for a child can be more harmful. It prevents them from trying new things, so they remain in their comfort zone.
These children think they won’t be accepted in other places. They are afraid of making a mistake, so they give up easily. As a consequence, they have poor competence at home or at school.
Signs of Good Self-esteem
How to tell if a child has good self-esteem? There are several signs that indicate a high level of personal value, including:
- Feel confident
- Motivated to learn and try something new
- Believe in their capability
- Feel accepted
- Easy to socialize
- Think positively
Signs of Low Self-esteem
Much like adults, low self-esteem in child can cause insecure feelings. They are not confident to socialize because they don’t believe in themselves. Children with low esteem can be easily noticed through the following signs:
- Self-critical
- Hard on themselves
- Feel they are useless
- Lack of confidence
- Don’t believe in themselves
- Afraid of failure
How to Boost Self-esteem for Child
Home is the children’s first environment. In this comfort zone, they can gain or lose self-esteem depending on how parents play their role. It can’t be denied that parents take a major contribution to boost self-esteem activity for child at home.
Parents who understand the importance of self-worth will help their children build their value. How to develop self-esteem for a child? Here are some simple tips every parent should try at home avoid over-praising
Some parents think that showering their children with praises is the best way to express their love.
Over-praising turns out to do more harm than good to the children. Being over-praised even for a small achievement will make children feel secure and loved.
When parents keep telling their children that they do an excellent job, it means the children don’t need to push themselves anymore.
It may build children’s temporary confidence but it makes them prone to disappointment and failure. Instead of over-praising, parents can let their children try, fail, and try again.
Step Back
Parents can build self-esteem for child by stepping back. As parents, it’s normal to help your child. But there are times to step back, so your child can take risks and make their own choices. It helps build their confidence to solve problems and stick with something they choose.
Give Encouragement
Children need to be encouraged, no matter what. Even those with healthy self-esteem may be afraid to try something new but a little motivation can boost their courage. Parents can help encourage their children to pursue their interests and make sure they stick with their choice. Whatever their interest, as long as it’s positive, children deserve encouragement.
Give Support when Children Fail
There are times when children fail and their self-esteem drops. Failure isn’t always bad, as long as parents can help turn it into a golden opportunity. Use the right strategies to motivate your child and let them take a lesson from failure.
What Can Crush Self-esteem for Child
Not only can parents build self-esteem, but they can also crush self-esteem for the child. It commonly happens when parents don’t understand the importance of personal value. Here are several things that can drop your child’s self-esteem.
Screaming and Hitting
Screaming at your kid or hitting their body significantly lower self-esteem for a child. Showing anger and temper tantrum gives a bad life lesson they will remember for a long time. Over time, your child will lose their confidence and feel he is useless.
Bringing up Past Conflict
When your child made a mistake in the past and the problem has been resolved, try your best not to bring it up. Recalling past conflict drops self-esteem for child and they will learn this is what adults normally do.
Making Children Feel Guilty
It is not wise to make your children feel guilty for everything they do. They will grow up with guilt and it makes them afraid of doing something even when they are adults.
Some parents think guilt can control their children, but it actually ruins their mental permanently.
Self-esteem for child is more important as their mental is developing. Parents who play a significant role in building self-esteem should be able to help their children in shaping a strong personality. Parents are also required to notice if their children have high or low self-esteem so they can take the right action.