Essential Elements To Promote Children’s Self-esteem

Self-confidence is a fundamental element of the human puzzle. It is the kind of support that keeps us going and represents the foundation of our ability to function in this world. It is important to promote children’s self – esteem as it will help them develop into healthy and responsible adults.

Unfortunately for people, achieving good self-esteem is not always easy. This is because parents do not instinctively know how to raise children. Fortunately, there are ways we can educate ourselves, learn something new, and use some techniques that can help us do that.

Read on to find out the crucial elements to promote the self-esteem of your children.

The importance of self-esteem in children

Clearly, no one is born with knowledge of what it takes to raise well-adjusted children who will be able to achieve all of their goals when they grow up. It’s not always easy.

Often our young children have a strong personality that is difficult to deal with. This makes it difficult to guide them. However, it is crucial to be able to promote children’s self-esteem in order for them to develop properly. 

It is a way for them to be more autonomous, strong and responsible. They actually need to know  how to protect and value themselves. This is because parents cannot always look after their children, and often children fall victim to bullying.

Bullying is a sad reality we can solve by providing our children with strategies they can follow. Helping them develop a healthy self-esteem from a young age will also make them confident and able to create healthy relationships. That way, no one will be able to control them and exploit them.

It’s worth the try, right?

Essential elements for raising well-adjusted children

1. The importance of promoting accountability and promoting children’s self-esteem

You need to know that children’s education begins the moment they are born. It is for this reason that you need to establish schedules for everything they do (eat, sleep, rest or bathe) and keep them straight as they grow up.

You should also start assigning them tasks such as cleaning up their toys, making their bed and taking their plate off the table. If they are responsible for certain duties, it will contribute to a certain order in their lives and make them feel valuable  because of their contributions.

If they have responsibilities, it will help them understand that they have duties to perform. Thus, they will be proud of themselves when they perform them and do a good job. This is because they will perceive themselves as competent and helpful.

Their sense of worth will get stronger every time they clean their room when they put their clothes together and pack it away. Even when taking care of family pets.

2. Praise them when they do something good, and offer support when they do not

Some parents are not patient or skilled enough to acknowledge what their children are doing well, and they think their job is only to point out mistakes and defeats. However, this practice is awful when it comes to promoting your children’s self-esteem.

This is because sooner or later they will ignore their duties and they will not worry about striving to make them better. Worst of all, your criticism will only negatively affect their self-perception. 

Instead, confirm each attempt by telling them how good a job they are doing when they do it. It is quite inappropriate to scold them when they do something “wrong”. Stay away from expressions such as “you can never do anything right”.

It  is also a huge mistake to compare them with other children. You should primarily encourage them to try again after a failed attempt and show them ways they can succeed. Build self-confidence with them.

Tell them things like “I know these topics are difficult, but I’m sure you will sooner or later get to grips with them if you keep trying. Take it easy.”

3. Show them that you trust them and love them, to promote children’s self-esteem

Love and trust are irreplaceable when it comes to raising well-adjusted children. As psychologist Ana Torre says:

Children therefore need to feel loved, valued, integrated and recognized. For that reason, they need to know that you are there for them. Let them know how special they are to you. Show them that you trust them and that your love for them is unconditional. It is crucial to do this for their emotional well-being and it will increase their self esteem.

4. Provide them with opportunities to exercise self-assertion

Self-assertion is about self-defense. Children need to learn to defend themselves and say out loud “no” if they have to. They have to do it in first person and say what they want and what they do not want so they avoid being manipulated. It is crucial to learn to say “no” when someone is trying to oppress or dominate them.

Provide your children with a democratic education that has clear rules. However, you need to make sure that they understand them. Do not be authoritarian. Instead, try to reason with them and establish open communication.

Your children will lie and avoid you when you punish them for telling the truth. Therefore, you need to listen carefully and try to reason with them so that they will always go to you when they have a problem.

Being assertive and knowing how to defend their rights and their voice will increase their self-esteem and they will be strong and competent throughout their lives.

Lastly, keep in mind that true education begins at home and you need to set an example as a parent or educator or any other adult who interacts with a child.

Raising well-adjusted children is not easy, but if you generate self-confidence, respect, love and set clear boundaries, then your children will truly grow up as well-adjusted, responsible adults.