How to Teach Your Children About Self-Image

Having a positive self-image can lead to a lot of confidence later on in life for any child. It’s important to set the tone early and make every child experience all the positivity that comes from high self-esteem. What are some easy ways to teach children about good self-image? Here are a few tips on how to teach your child about self-image.

Give Them Space

It is very easy early on in a child’s life to want to baby them every step of the way. However, one of the best ways to build up a positive self -mage is to allow them to make their own choices as they get older. Sometimes, that is a good thing. Other times, they are going to make mistakes, but it will be a much bigger pay off when they learn from those mistakes on their own. Give them a little space and let them solve their problems once in a while.

Encourage Chores

Some people look at chores as a bit old-fashioned, but it gives children a sense of responsibility at an early age. Money might motivate them to do those chores initially, but it also builds up a positive self-image because they are contributing. It also helps that they are succeeding in doing the chores they are given.

Let Them Pursue Their interests

It’s easy for parents to direct their children towards interests they like. However, if they truly don’t have that same type of passion, let them explore the interests that they do have. This is going to allow them to develop a passion for what they want out of life, and it can even give them an identity. By pursuing their favorite things, it is much more likely that they will stick with it and have, at the very least, a hobby for life. This sense of accomplishment and proficiency at something will be a confidence booster for years to come.

Don’t Overpraise, But Do Stress Unconditional Love

It’s one thing to give praise once in a while for truly remarkable things but giving too much praise can be a bad thing for self-esteem. If children receive praise for every little thing they do, it diminishes the value for when accomplishing something truly remarkable. Instead of focusing on praising all the time, focus more on making sure unconditional love is understood. This encourages children to take more chances, and to know that they always have support even if things don’t go exactly as planned.

Be Present

This might be the simplest piece of advice to help children with self-esteem, but it’s one some parents forget about at times. Make the time and effort to go to their events, spend time with them as much as possible, and show genuine interest in their interests. Even a small amount of added interest, such as blowing off a meeting for some quality time together, can make all the difference in the world. It’s always nice to have them do things on their own, but some support from the parents also helps out quite a bit.

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