Confidence Boosters!

Spend quality time with your child. Set aside at least an hour a day to listen or to play together. Do not let the phone or TV distract you.

How to raise a can-do kid!

Building confidence is a daily practice that involves common activities as simple as tying shoelaces to making a glass of milk.

Start with small activities before moving up to big ones, and at the same time give them room to make mistakes and to learn from them too!

Learning to tie shoe laces not only boosts confidence but develops muscles and hand-eye coordination as well.

Start Small
Getting children involved in activities around the house is not only the best way to develop confidence through usefulness, it also helps develop small muscles and hand-eye coordination too. Give your toddlers a sense of accomplishment with these around-the-house activities:
• spreading butter or jam on bread
• assisting you in baking or cooking
• pouring from a small pitcher
• lacing shoes
• putting away clothes
• watering plants

Play Games
High self-esteem can also be nurtured from playing problem solving games which can be as simple as presenting your child a situation. For example, what do you do when someone calls you names—and then ask him to think up a few solutions. Don’t worry if he can’t think of one immediately; try role-playing out these situations to help demonstrate the steps involved in problem solving.

Breaking It Down
Breaking things down into small tasks will help your child feel more capable of taking on new tasks. This way, your child won’t put off doing something daunting. For example, if he needs to learn 50 new words by the end of the week, break it down to 10 new words a day.

Praise Effort
Confidence comes from a strong belief in our own capabilities. So instead of just complimenting results, direct your compliments towards the process it took your child to get there. For example, “You really worked hard for that exam. I’m proud of you!” Complimenting effort teaches children that success is determined by how hard they work at something. The gift of confidence is the best gift you can give your child. It will help your child persevere through troubled times when he is older. Love, patience and understanding are the best tools you can use to help build the foundation of self-esteem.

Always remember that mistakes are opportunities to learn—so instead of reprimanding, teach him how not to make that mistake again.