Self Esteem in Children

What
Is Self Esteem?

Self
esteem is all about what children believe about themselves. These
beliefs are formed during childhood, as the child interacts with
others and interprets their behaviour and treatment of him as an
assessment of his value as a person. The actions of adults are more
influential to the child’s development of self belief, and his
parents are the most important of all.

What
Does Low Self Esteem Look Like?

A quiet
child

Not
mixing with other children

Does not
approach adults

Clingy

Impatient

Rubbishes
his own work

Avoids
new challenges

Blames
others for failure

Easily
frustrated

What
Does Healthy Self Esteem Look Like?

Welcomes
new challenges

Mixes
well with others

Approaches
adults confidently

Patient

Values
own work/achievements

Takes
responsibility for unsuccessful endeavours

Tolerates
frustration

Confident
and open communication in group situations

Welcomes
new challenges

Why
Is Healthy Self Esteem Important?

Healthy
self esteem in children is important because it is the foundation on
which their whole life is built. If it is a bit shaky, their life
will not be a strong building! A healthy self esteem means that a
child will be a confident learner, will build relationships easily,
will care for themselves and their bodies and will go for their goals
and dreams when they reach adulthood. These are the cornerstones of
a successful and happy life.

Building
Self Esteem In Children

“They
may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made
them feel.”

Carl W
Buechner

We as
parents have a pivotal role in building self esteem in children; We
need to teach our children to love and value themselves. The first
consideration is that we need to set a good example in our own self
esteem. Do we care for and value ourselves? At the end of the day,
your child will take more credence from your behaviour than your
words. Simply put, children need to be shown how to feel about
themselves by how we as parents feel about them; and this is through
our behaviour towards them. If we show them love, they will love
themselves; if we value them, they will value themselves etc.

Action
Steps

• Notice
  the good in your child as frequently as possible.

• Use
  descriptive praise, e.g.