How to Build Confidence in Kids - Glue Sticks and Gumdrops

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We all want to raise confident children. The only problem is a lot of parents are going about it the wrong way. Confidence isn’t achieved when everything is handed to a child. This type of parenting leads to children who are self-righteous and feel entitled. A sense of entitlement is not confidence. You want your child to feel like he can do something, not that something will be handed to him. Let’s look at ways to boost your child’s self-confidence.

Love Your Child

Simply showing your child that you love him can make a world of difference. Depending on the age of your child, he may or may not admit that he looks up to you and cares what you think. Children naturally look up to their parents. When you show that you love them for who they are, it naturally creates self-confidence.

Set a Good Example

You can’t tell your child to love herself when you’re constantly criticizing yourself. Saying things like, “Ugh. I need to lose twenty pounds.” does not help your child. In fact, your child may begin to wonder if she should lose weight. Think about the things you say and do in front of your child and how you would feel if your child said or did those things.

Encourage Your Child to Play Sports

Sports are a great way to build self-confidence. Let your child choose a sport he enjoys and let him try out for the team. If your child isn’t into sports, encourage him to do something else that puts himself out there. It might be joining the school band or singing in the church choir.

Praise Your Child

You should always praise your child for a job well done. Children need praise from their parents. With that said, you don’t want to praise every little thing your child does. There’s a fine line between self-confidence and feeling like you’re better than everyone. For example, praise your child for doing well in English when they get an A, but don’t praise them when they bring home a C, unless it’s an improvement from a previous grade.

Teach Your Child to Never Give Up

Resilience can build self-confidence. You want your child to keep going until she finally achieves what she set out to do. This can be done by helping her create realistic goals. For example, if your child wants to get better at playing the piano, you might help her set a goal for her to practice twenty-minutes each evening.

Let Your Child Encounter Obstacles

Here’s the thing. We know there are problems we could fix for our children. We could pull some strings here and there to get them whatever they might want. The problem is your child needs to encounter obstacles in order to build self-confidence. Obstacles build character and help layout your child’s path.

Show Interest

Last, but not least, show interest in what your child loves. Your child may love drawing. Frame the best photos and hang them in your living room. Buy her art supplies and take her to art classes. Your child will definitely have self-confidence when you encourage her to follow her passions.

Confidence is important in a child. It gives her the ability to go after her dreams. You have the ability to help boost your child’s self-confidence, but you must do so in a way that doesn’t interfere. Remember, part of building self-confidence is achieving something you once thought was impossible.