A healthy sense of self-esteem is one of the most important foundations that can be developed in a child. It is one of the keys to a child's health and well-being as well as social, mental, behavioral, and emotional health, and will play a crucial role in how he handles setbacks, peer pressure, and other challenges in the road of life.
Self-esteem is basically how your child sees himself and thinks of himself, and his ability to do things. It's also shaped by how much he feels loved, and how much support and encouragement--or criticism--he receives from important people in his life, like his parents.
Here are some small but significant ways that parents can make a big difference in building a healthy sense of self-esteem in their child:
Show Your Child Love Every Day
Knowing how much you love her gives your child a sense of security and belonging that is crucial to her view of herself. As she grows, she will continue to build her social circle, by making good friends, feeling a sense of belonging at a church or synagogue or another place of worship, forming bonds with teammates on a sports team, and more. Your love will lay the groundwork for the healthy and strong relationships she will form later in her life. So hug your child when you say goodbye and hello, snuggle together and read a book, and show her you love her in many ways, every single day.
Play with Your Child and Have Fun
When you play with your child, it shows him that you like spending time with him and value his company. Just having fun with your child has numerous benefits: Not only does your child develop confidence in his ability to be an interesting and entertaining person who can form solid social bonds, but studies have shown a child's odds of being happy increases and his risk of depression and anxiety decreases when parents play with them.
Let Your Child Be Independent
The elementary-school years is a time of fast-growing independence in kids. By the time they reach the middle-school years, many children are starting to spend time alone at home, walking to school by themselves, and helping younger siblings. It's important that parents allow kids to grow increasingly more independent, letting them figure out how to talk to teachers about any problems on their own, organizing homework assignments, making sure they're soccer uniforms are packed and ready, and so on. So-called "helicopter parenting" undermines kids' abilities to do things on their own and to build good self-esteem.
Let Them Create and Show Off Work
Work on fun crafts for kids with your child and display them around the house. When he brings home his artwork, writing, and other projects from school, ask him to tell you all about how he made it, what he wants people who see his work to think or feel (the way an artist might when talking about his work), and what he loves best about his creation. Giving your child a chance to show off the things he makes or to talk about the things he made lets him feel like his creations are worthy of attention, and that his opinion and thoughts matter.
