10 Ways to Build your Child's Self-Esteem

Children learn their first lessons about self-esteem from their parents and the good news is that there are many ways that parents can help develop this. Here are 10 suggestions from leading psychotherapist Jessica Easton, M.A., Ph.D for you to help your child build self-esteem.

1.       Praise your children. It needs to be specific and sincere. Don’t wait for the exceptional actions rather, focus on everyday events like getting ready for school on time.

2.       Treat your children with respect. The most effective way is to watch what you say to them.  Saying “please” when you ask him to do something or “thank you” for what he has done is the first step.

3.       Be consistent. Children need to know what their parents expect from them and what to expect from their parents.  A schedule on the fridge with the morning routine for the family can be helpful.

4.       Listen to and respond to your children. Parents should make sure their children have their complete attention. Parents can do this by setting aside anything they might have been doing, making eye contact, and making physical contact through a pat or a hug.

5.       Teach your children to use positive self-talk. Positive self-talk is saying positive things about one's self to one's self.  The more children acknowledge good things about themselves the more likely they will be to actually believe them.

6.       Encourage your children to make some decisions for themselves. Parents can give their children options and ask them to choose one. For example, they could ask their children to choose one of three outfits to wear to school, or choose a 4:00 or 5:00 time to start homework.

7.       Give your children some responsibility. Weekly or daily chores tell children that their parents think they are capable and that they trust them to get the job done. Make sure to keep them accountable for these to build life long good habits.

8.       Give your children the freedom to take risks. If children learn to see failure as something that is temporary and not a reflection of who they are, they will be more likely not to let failure or rejection affect their self-esteem.

9.       Display your children's artwork, schoolwork and projects. This is one of the best ways to show children that you value the work they do, and thus value them.

10.    Be a positive role model by nurturing your own self-esteem.

Your child's strong sense of self is what will take him from his first day at school to a year of positive growth, development, and learning.