A child’s self esteem is formed from a very young age and keeps developing regularly. Healthy self-esteem is considered to be one of the important characteristics of healthy child development. 

A child’s emotional, social, and behavioural health plays an important role in how they handle setbacks and other challenges throughout life. Hence, it is every parent’s and teacher’s responsibility to affirm and build self-esteem in each child.

Here are a few significant ways to develop your child’s self-esteem in a healthy way.

Understand healthy self-esteem

In general, self-esteem is the overall opinion of oneself, it includes how you feel about your limitations and abilities. Self-esteem can be shaped by how much they feel loved, and how much encouragement and support they receive from important people in their life. 

Healthy self-esteem excludes entitlement, arrogance, and narcissism. It is important to balance a child’s self-esteem with important values like kindness, good manners, empathy, and gratitude. The self-esteem of a child begins to be formed very early and continues to be created every day.

Play together

Playing together shows your child that you like spending time with them and value their company. During healthy play, kids develop confidence in their ability to be entertaining and interesting people who are capable of forming solid social bonds. 

According to recent studies, healthy play also increases a child’s odds of being happy and decreases the risk of anxiety and depression. Turn-taking games help kids learn how to play cooperatively and get along with others.

Independence

Give them control over their life to an extinct. It is important to allow kids to grow independently. Let your child make their own decisions, like which toy to play with, to have either veggies or jam on the toast. Allow your child to explore their environment. It is crucial to build a child’s belief that they can handle their life on their own.

Facing challenges

Let your child understand that everyone makes mistakes. While trying something new, children face challenges that allow them to learn and grow. Allow your child to try new things and try again when things don’t go as planned. 

Try to be patient and calm with your children when they make mistakes. Encourage them to try playing games they are not good at.

Responsibilities

Being responsible for age gives your child a sense of purpose and accomplishment. Even at times when they don’t do something perfectly, let them know that you appreciate their efforts. 

It is the responsibility of parents to teach children how to own their lives, choices, and responses, and to avoid becoming victims to themselves by their own lack of knowledge, skills, or understanding.

As a parent, working to build your child’s self-esteem is the best way you can spend time with them. Although it requires extra time and effort, it is crucial to develop a child’s self-esteem which helps them in the future. Hence, being supportive and realistic is key to helping your child build positive self-esteem.