Without confidence, there is not much anyone can achieve. The same goes for your child. Boosting your child's confidence is one of the ways that you can make them face the school year and take on any challenges that come with it. Here is how you can do it.
Praise them for the efforts they make
We all enjoy receiving compliments on the work that we have done. The same goes for your child. Your child cares about what you think and they use this to measure their worth. Giving praise where it is due or encouraging them when they are struggling is crucial to boost your child's confidence.
The catch with this is that you need to be genuine and realistic with your praises. Remind them that it is okay not to be able to do everything perfectly. It's all about giving their best effort and moving on when they are unable to complete something despite giving it their best shot.
Listen to your child
Actively listening to your child and paying attention to what they say will make them feel like they matter and that they have a voice. Ask them questions relating to what they are talking about to show them that you are interested, and comment with solutions rather than reprimand them when they are struggling with an area in their life.
This will help your child build their confidence in voicing the things that they struggle with or do not like. It is also a way in which you can teach them problem-solving skills by helping them look at things from a different perspective.
Help them be kinder to themselves
What you tell yourself after you have failed on something is more important than the failure itself. Teaching your child how to positively re-affirm themselves when things do not go their way can change the perspective from "I am such a failure" to " I failed at that, now what can I change to succeed?" However, this is only effective if they see you leading by example when it comes to positively re-affirming yourself.
Let them explore new things
Encourage your child to explore new things, even if they fail at it. It is better to try than to not try at all. Encourage your child to try new activities or tasks outside of the school curriculum to boost their confidence. Not only will they be able to see what works and doesn't work for them, but it will also help them be independent when it comes to making their own choices.
