People with a healthy self-esteem are happy and enjoy life. They are energetic, participate in a variety of activities, feel equal to others and are more willing to try new things. People with low self-esteem might feel isolated because they are afraid to try new things out of fear of criticism or failure. They often have more health problems and are uncertain about their values and opinions. Helping children build self-esteem is important to moving them toward a successful future.
Step 1
Model positive behaviors and a confident life outlook. If you are a role model to a child, she will begin mirroring your actions and attitude. If she senses that you are not confident in yourself, she may feel less confident in herself, says Lucy Schrader, the Building Strong Families Program coordinator at the University of Missouri.
Step 2
Give the child a sense of ownership over his actions and decisions. Let the child choose from among several sensible options what he wants to do, wear or eat.
Step 3
Build responsibility in the child by encouraging her to help others, volunteer, complete weekly chores or have a special job. For example, you and the child could collect cans for a charitable food drive, or you could assign the child the duty of feeding the family dog each evening.
Step 4
Reward and praise effort rather than only successful outcomes, according to the website KidsHealth. For example, if your child works hard on a science project, let her know how proud you are of her for her hard work and dedication, regardless of how well she does in the science fair. Communicate to her that doing your best is often more important than winning or losing.
Step 5
Foster the child's interests. Lilian Katz, director of Elementary and Early Childhood Education at the ERIC Clearinghouse, suggests treating a child's interests with respect and appreciation to give him a sense of self-worth. But be careful: If you simply praise and flatter a child, he might pretend to be interested in something just to get your praise rather than feeling confident enough to pursue his own interests. Listen and watch the child to find out more about his interests.
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