Self-confidence is one of the most important personal attributes human beings can possess and it’s something that greatly benefits a person all throughout their life. Teaching and learning self-confidence should ideally start at a very early age, as it’s when children are very young that they are the most impressionable. However, it is important to note that SEL programs for elementary school also provide emotional benefits, such as self esteem and resilience, that last a lifetime.
This article is going to focus on some tips and ideas to teach young children from a young age how to develop a healthy dose of self-confidence, something they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
1 – Learning Responsibility Leads To Self-Confidence Development
Responsibility naturally leads to having more self-confidence, due to the fact that taking on responsibilities gives a person, young or old, the knowledge that they can be trusted with responsibility, along with the confidence that comes with accomplishing or achieving whatever it is they are responsible for.
Children need to start learning responsibility at a very early age and this can be accomplished in the following ways.
Start with simple tasks that you know your child can manage. It could be something like tasking them with some basic household chores or helping out with preparing meals. Teach them to do some work first before they get to play.
Obviously, young children cannot be given major responsibilities, but they should be given some that they can adequately handle.
2 – Offer Genuine Praise and Constructive Criticism
Some parents, while striving to be encouraging, will offer glowing praise for every single thing a child does. While this may come from a well-meaning heart, this isn’t going to benefit a young child in the long term. Children who are praised artificially will likely grow up having a false sense of self-confidence rather than genuine confidence.
Instead, praise should only be offered when it’s genuine. If a child needs to improve in some area, whether it be behaviour or their ability to perform some task, then gentle, but constructive criticism needs to be offered so improvement does occur. This will ultimately lead to a child developing genuine self-confidence and the ability to always improve.
3 – Let Kids Make Some of Their Own Choices
Obviously, if a child is preschool age, these decisions are only going to be small decisions that don’t have any real consequences, but allowing children to make their own choices in some areas also teaches them to be responsible and develop higher self-esteem.
Some simple decisions you can have your child make for themselves might be allowing them to choose the clothes they are going to wear, or to make the decision on what they will eat for lunch or dinner on certain days. Letting them make small decisions can lead to allowing children to make more important decisions as they grow older.
4 – Early Learning Centres Are a Fantastic Idea
One of the best things you can do for a preschool-aged child is to enrol them in an early learning centre. These centres are a safe haven for young children, where they get to learn education basics and a whole host of other important stuff.
What you can definitely count on is that your child’s self-confidence will increase enormously after spending time in an early learning centre and participating in positive activities that improve a child’s development overall.
To find an early learning centre near you, just search online for your location. For example, if you’re in Concord in NSW, type the following phrases into Google:
- Preschool Concord
- Concord early learning centre
- Daycare in Concord
- And so forth…
5 – Children Should Be Encouraged To Pursue Their Interests
Your child should be encouraged to pursue interests, activities and tasks that they show a keen interest in, as the more things they find they are good at, the better it will be for their confidence levels. It’s also a prime time to discover talents and to build on those talents.
Children are far more likely to stick with something they know they are naturally good at and will strive to keep improving.
In Conclusion
The earlier your child can develop some healthy self-esteem, the better it will be for them for the rest of their lives. Early learning centres can assist in every stage of a child’s developmental process, so that’s well worth considering.