Building your preschooler's self-esteem may seem like a considerable responsibility, after all. Self-esteem lays the foundation for your children's future. Self-esteem is the perception that we have of ourselves, of knowing that we are capable, it is the awareness of the defects and also of the virtues, and it also has to do with the value that others have of ourselves.
As all adults know, self-esteem can have a good foundation but sometimes it can be affected since sometimes we feel good about ourselves and sometimes we don't. What we are really trying to teach our children are life skills, such as endurance or learning after making mistakes.
The goal for any parent is to ensure that the child develops pride and respect for himself and his close environment. What's more, you will also need to be capable enough to handle life's challenges -For a young child this may mean drawing a sun correctly. It is necessary that as a father or mother you know some strategies to help your children have good self-esteem knowing what they need.
Unconditional love
Your child's self-esteem will grow thanks to your unconditional love. Your child will have greater self-esteem when you accept him for who he is, regardless of his strengths, difficulties, temperament or abilities. Your children need you to flood them with love every day with lots of hugs, kisses and words of encouragement. -And of course it is necessary that you tell them every day how much you love him.
When you have to discipline your child, you need to always focus on his behavior and what is unacceptable, but not on his person. Avoid labeling or making value judgments. For example, instead of saying: 'You are a bad boy, why can't you be more good', you can say something like: 'Hitting your brother is not right, you can hurt him'.
Your time and attention
Your children need your time and attention. This will do wonders for children's self-esteem as it sends the message that you think and feel that they are the most important and most valuable thing in your life. It's as easy as stopping flipping through the mail if your child is trying to talk to you or turning off the television long enough to answer a question your child just asked you.
It is important to make eye contact so your child knows - he will notice at any age - that you are really listening to what he is saying. When you don't have much time, you can also prioritize your child when he talks to you and say something like: 'When you finish explaining to me about the drawing, we will go to make dinner.'
Bounds
You need to set some reasonable rules for your children at home. Rules and limits are necessary for children to feel safe and so that they also know what is expected of them at any given moment. For example, if you tell your child that he should eat his snack in the kitchen, don't let him walk around the room with the cookies.
Children should know that there are some rules in the family that 'are written in stone' and that must be followed, but there may also be others that are somewhat more flexible depending on the situation in which you find yourself. For a young child to begin to understand that he must heed the rules and limits of the home, it will take constant repetition on your part, but soon you will realize how thanks to clarity, consistency and patience, good are obtained results.
Let them make mistakes
Mistakes are the best teachers for children as they are valuable lessons to help you overcome frustration and build your own confidence. So if your child puts a plate too close to the edge and falls over, instead of getting upset, encourage him to think about what he could do differently next time. In this way, your child's self-esteem will not be damaged and he will learn to do better next time thanks to the mistake made - and above all, he will learn that making mistakes is the most normal thing in the world.
Recognizing and recovering from mistakes has a powerful message for children, and this will make it easier for them to accept their own limitations.
Take healthy risks
As parents, we have an obligation to encourage children to explore new things such as trying a different food, looking for friends, or riding a bike. Although there is always the possibility of failure, without risk there is no opportunity for success. For this reason, let your child experiment safely and resist the urge to step in to make things easier for him.
For example, try not to 'rescue' your child when he feels a little frustration when figuring out how a new toy works, if you do things for him instead of guiding him to discover it for himself, you would be promoting dependency and decreasing confidence in himself. Building their self-esteem requires balancing your need to protect your child with their need to cope with new tasks.
Other important aspects that children need to have good self-esteem
- Open and positive communication
- Positive thinking
- Positive discipline
- Empathy and assertiveness
- Sense of belonging
- Have the opportunity to make decisions -according to age-
Everything you just read in this article are things that all children need in order to develop good self-esteem that will serve as the basis for finding success in adult life, but above all, to be able to feel good about themselves and be happy. Self-esteem is essential in all people and that is why parents must find a way to enhance it in their children. Good self-esteem is necessary to be happy.