10 Tips to Boost your Child’s Self-Esteem

Written by: Sarah Mixson, M.S.W.

Wanting your child to grow and develop into a happy, confident individual is normal for many parents. Though this is a common goal for most parents, it’s not always clear how to help your child build their self-esteem. Put simply, self-esteem is how a child sees themselves, including what they think of themselves and their ability to do things. Self-esteem can be shaped by how much they feel loved, and if they feel supported and encouraged by important people in their life. Here are 10 tips to help boost your child’s self-esteem:

1. Model confidence in yourself: If a child sees their parents modeling optimism when they are preparing for a new task, it can be a great example of what healthy self-esteem looks like for their children.
2. Give your child responsibilities and chores: If a child has a sense of responsibility for age-appropriate chores, it helps foster a sense of purpose and accomplishment. Let them know you appreciate their efforts.
3. Encourage them to try new things: While it can be a confidence booster to have your child focus their energy on things they excel at, it’s a good idea to have them try new things. This will make them feel more capable and confident in tackling new tasks.
4. Allow kids to fail: Kids learn best from trial and error. Emphasize the fact that being human means making mistakes and not being perfect. Teaching your child to view setbacks as opportunities will allow for improvement, problem-solving, and growth.
5. Praise perseverance: Praising a child’s effort rather than the finished result is important. When you praise the effort a child put into the task, they’re more likely to continue persevering and trying hard.
6. Help kids find their passion: When your child can explore their own interests, it can help them develop a sense of identity – this is essential in building confidence.
7. Set goals: When a child can set a goal – big or small – and achieve it, it makes them feel strong and builds their confidence. Encourage your child to make a list of what they would like to accomplish.
8. Embrace imperfection: Being perfect is unrealistic, and it’s important for your children to learn that lesson as early as possible. The idea that others are always happy, successful, and confident is a destructive fantasy. Teach your child that no one is perfect and that we’re all humans who make mistakes.
9. Let them create and show off work: Encourage your child to display their work around the house. When they create something, whether it’s artwork, a project or writing a story, ask questions and show interest. Giving your child an opportunity to show off what they create lets them know their skills are valuable and worthy of attention.
10. Show your love: It’s important to ensure your child knows they are loved no matter what. Win or lose, good grades or bad, make sure your child knows that you love them, and you think they are great. This will build up their self-esteem even when they’re not feeling good about themselves.