Every parent wants their children to grow up to be happy, self-confident individuals, but, unfortunately, it is not always that easy. Confidence is a slippery attribute that can come and go even into adulthood, but it is important to be conscious of your child’s self-esteem and take measures to boost their confidence wherever possible. This can be challenging,and it may involve pushing them outside of their comfort zone, but this is key to growth,and it could prove to be a valuable life experience that puts them in good stead for the future. Here are a few tips for boosting your child’s confidence.
Avoid Helicopter Parenting
Being a parent is difficult because you will want to be there to help them through any challenges, but, equally, they will need to overcome many of these themselves in order to grow up. Helicopter parenting involves paying extremely close attention to experiences and problems and not allowing the child to solve their own problems. This is not good for their self-belief and can interfere with their development, so it should be avoided at all costs.
Encourage Interest Outside Of School
If your child shows an interest in any particular hobby, be sure to nurture this and encourage them to pursue it. In addition to having something that they are passionate about, this can encourage them to meet new people and socialize regularly which is vital for confidence and developing communication skills.
Develop Key Skills
Communication skills and public speaking are important skills that can help you to get ahead in life, yet they are also elusive skills which many people, kids and adults alike, struggle mightily with. Try to develop these skills in any way you can so that when they need to talk in front of the class at school, at school or have an interview in the future they will feel prepared and confident. This can be done with practice at home, through public speaking classes such as Thought Leader regular socializing and at school. This can be made fun with a personal touch, as you can even get hands-on at home and make a unique presentation for practice and work on it with your children.
Provide Responsibility & Allow Their Own Choices
Giving your child responsibility and allowing them to make their own choices will increase their feelings of competency and independence. Obviously, you should not give them too much responsibility,and it will depend on their age, but it could include walking by themselves to a friend’s house, deciding whether to go out in a coator setting the table for dinner.
Appropriate Praise
It is tempting to gush praise,and many believe that this will help to develop self-confidence, but this is not the case,and children can be very good at detecting insincere praise. Instead, offer sincere praise when it is earned and specific as this can be a great way to build self-esteem.
Confidence is something that needs to constantly be developed,and it is highly likely that your child will go through dips, much like everyone. The above are a few helpful ways to develop confidence and can help a kid to develop into a young adult with a healthy amount of self-belief. If your child is suffering from a severe lack of confidence, the above can help, but it may also be worth speaking to a mental healthcare professional who will be able to advise.
