Dear Editor,
Confidence is a key to living a happy life. Developing confidence in children at a young age is very crucial for their overall growth. Check out these few suggestions which can help to increase confidence level of your children. A child is like wet clay when they are born; they will adopt the shape you give them. Children who have more self-confidence perform better in a variety of academic and extracurricular activities. It is essential to living a fulfilling life and achieving great things. Children who lack confidence are frequently unwilling to try new things and fall behind their more confident friends in competition. Confidence is the greatest gift that parents can gift to their children and it is important to inculcate small habits since childhood that can boost their confidence so that they grow up to be a confident individual. Nowadays we observe that both parents are working due to which child is often spending most of the time at daycare. Issues such as anxiety, depression, and emotional burnout are increasing in young children. Parental care plays an important role for young children. Here are a few ways you may use to encourage your kids to feel more confident.
Appreciate them: You should always recognise a child’s effort when they try something new, even if they don’t succeed. This will help the kid overcome their fear of doing new things in the future. Your compliments will boost his confidence and motivate him to be more eager to do new tasks. Give them praise for even the smallest accomplishments, such as creating a tidy origami boat, receiving high marks, or reciting a poem. Kids who receive enough praise grow up to be confident people with strong self-esteem, while lack of appreciation and motivation can lead to a complex in kids.
Never compare: As each person in the world has unique talents and limitations, never compare a youngster to his siblings or friends. When the child is compared to others, his self-esteem suffers, which causes him to develop an inferiority complex over time. Developing a sense of healthy competition in your children is good but encouraging them to be better than others could prove to be counterproductive. Children may develop anger, emotional stress, and anxiety as a result, which could be harmful to their development.
Set an example: Parents serve as the best role models for kids because the family is their first classroom and they often pick up habits from parents. Young kids frequently make an effort to mimic their parents. For instance, if parents make their beds every morning, kids will want to adopt the same behaviour. Additionally, developing positive behaviour boosts their confidence. As children learn quickly, try to be conscious in your habits and behaviour.
Give small responsibilities: Assign your kids little tasks like arranging their toys after playing, making their beds, eating on their own, finishing a puzzle, etc. They will become autonomous and responsible as a result, and finishing even minor tasks will help build their confidence. Mothers frequently forbid their kids from working out of concern that they will make a mess or add to their workload, but if you always have everything ready for them, they won’t learn the value of working hard, and they’ll grow up to be more dependent and less confident.
Let them make a decision: Nowadays, kids as young as 5 or 6 years of age also like to wear the dress of their choice, but often parents do not pay attention to their words and impose their choices on them, which lowers their self-confidence. If you do not agree with any of your child’s decisions, then instead of forcing your choice let them learn from their experience and then make them understand in a kind and rational manner.
Vijay.