Building self-esteem (1093)

Helping a child develop a strong sense of self is one of the most significant things a parent can do. Children with healthy self-esteem grow into self-confident adults.

Neither parents nor teachers can give self-confidence to a child; it must be developed from within, but we can help by giving a blend of acceptance, affection, limits, and appropriate expectations.

Here are some tips for fostering self-esteem in children:

Encourage your child. Encouragement is not the same as praise. Praise often emphasizes being better than someone and can contribute to arrogance, or can cause a child to feel she only gets approval if she is a winner. Encouragement, on the other hand, can be motivation given for effort or for slight improvement. Let your child know that you approve if he takes pleasure in doing something for its own sake, rather than for praise or gain.

Promote activities in which a child can make real decisions and contributions. Give children the opportunity to plan family outings, entertain friends, run errands, or help bake cookies.

Talk to your child. Show interest without prying. Ask "what happened at school today? ”, rather than “what did you do?" Emphasize events. Showing your child that you value her, rather than constantly evaluating her, will help her understanding that her real worth is not determined by success or failure.

For more information on this subject, Please visit the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Web site.

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