16 Powerful Strategies to Help Your Kids Build Confidence and Resilience
Confidence and resilience are two of the most important skills to teach your kids if you want to see them succeed in life. However, not all parents know how to pass these teachings on, especially if they don’t possess these skills in the first place. If you’re among them, there is no reason to panic. Here are 16 tips to ensure your children grow with good confidence, resilience, and self-esteem.
Focus On Efforts
Nowadays, parents often tell their children that they are perfect, the best among their friends. Unfortunately, however, this behavior can be pretty harmful. Instead of telling your children they are perfect, teach them the importance of hard work and consistency.
Praise Perseverance
Another key factor in developing healthy self-esteem is perseverance. For instance, rather than getting angry whenever your son comes home with a bad grade, maintain a positive attitude and remind him that with hard work, he will surely be able to get a better grade next time.
Be A Good Role Model
Of course, to raise confident kids, you need to be confident yourself. Is this the case, or are you struggling with self-esteem? If you answered the latter, you need to address the issue. Try to understand the root of your lack of confidence and see a therapist if you think it may help.
Promote a Growth Mindset
The best gift a parent can give their child is a growth mindset. By simply teaching your kids the value of hard work and enjoying the process rather than chasing the result, you can set them up for life. A growth mindset will enable your kids to push through setbacks. It will teach them humility and, most importantly, work ethic.
Teach Them Healthy Practices
Being hydrated, spending time outdoors, and maintaining a healthy diet are all great habits that will benefit your kid’s physical health. But don’t forget about mental well-being. Teach your children mindfulness, encouraging them to journal, meditate, or practice gratitude.
Set Goals
Another great way to teach your kids confidence is by teaching them how to set goals. At the beginning of the year, ask them to write down a few resolutions. You can then help them keep track of their goals and check their progress routinely to see whether they are improving.
Don’t Compare
Do you know what kills your kid’s confidence? Unhealthy comparison with other kids. There will always be someone tidier than your son, better in math, and more empathic, but this doesn’t mean you should point this out in front of your child.
Prioritize Your Relationships
It may seem contradictory at first, but prioritizing your relationship with your spouse over your kids has plenty of positive repercussions for your children. Why? It teaches them they are not the center of the world, shows them that their parents have other priorities, and pushes them to be independent.
Encourage Them To Share Their Feelings
The years in which parents shout at their kids, ‘Stop crying,’ are, hopefully, finally over. Showing your emotions is key to accepting and letting go of them rather than building resentment and anger. Teach your kids that there is no wrong feeling and that communicating their emotions is key.
Allow Them To Fail
If you want your kids to master resilience, they must face failure. Instead of teaching them to avoid this at all costs, help them embrace it. Failure is a necessary step everyone must go through before achieving success. Make sure your kids are aware of this.
Encourage Them To Try New Things
Some kids have a very hard time trying new things, whether it’s a new restaurant, a new hobby, or a new haircut. However, trying new things helps your children understand what they like and don’t like while pushing them out of their comfort zone and building their confidence.
Teach Them Independence
How can your kids develop confidence and self-esteem if you constantly do everything for them? No, you should not be the one working on their college application and stop doing their homework! There is a fine line between helping your kids and doing everything for them.
Celebrate Small Wins
Help your kids see that even the little victories matter, not just the big ones. Whether it’s finishing a tough homework assignment or sticking with a new hobby, make a big deal out of their progress. It shows them that their hard work pays off and keeps them motivated to push through when things get challenging. Those small wins add up, building their confidence bit by bit.
Surround Them With Confident People
Our closest group of friends defines us way more than we think, as the people we surround ourselves with shape how we see the world. Do you want your kids to be confident and resilient? Make sure the people in your life have those qualities.
Let Them Get Bored
If you give your kids a phone or put them in front of a screen whenever they experience boredom, they will never figure out their hobbies and passions. Instead of filling your house with a screen, buy musical instruments, art supplies, and sports equipment. Mastering any of these hobbies will help them develop a sense of self and increase their self-esteem.
Maintain A Positive Attitude
How will your kid feel if you constantly doubt his skills? For instance, let’s say he’s sending his college application. Instead of telling him he should send multiple ones, as there is a high chance he will fail, opt for a different attitude. Keep it positive, suggesting he tries more than one university to have more options to choose from.
More For You
These are a few tips and tricks to ensure your kids grow up with great self-esteem and resilience. Do you need some extra suggestions? Here are a few parenting resolutions to change your family life.
This article was first published on the RB ITALIA Blog.
