Self Esteem Building and Training
A big part of self
esteem building and training with kids is preparing
them for the situations they will encounter in life. At some
point they will face challenges, frustrations, successes,
and accomplishments and it is important to help kids deal
with these different experiences in a productive way. When
a child learns how to independently handle a situation, complete
a challenge in front of them, or overcome an obstacle in
their way their self esteem will be grow.
The initial step in helping kids develop
the ability to deal with challenges in life is to give
them specific and concrete ideas or skills to use in these
situations. For example, many children growing up will
feel awkward in social situations. They are unsure of them
selves as they are increasingly exposed to new and unfamiliar
social situations. It could be greeting a friend’s parents,
speaking with a teacher, or interacting with peers in and
outside of school. These situations can be socially challenging
for kids and can produce feelings of inadequacy. This inadequacy
can negatively affect a child’s self esteem with feelings
of self-doubt at functioning socially. This points directly
to the importance of providing children with the social
“know-how” to independently function. Here are a few tips
to emphasize.
Social Tips
- Be the first to say “hello”
- Remember the person’s name
- Give a firm handshake
- Stand tall, smile, and make eye contact
- Speak clearly and ask questions of the other person
These are all examples of a simple social
strategy that should be directly covered with kids. This
will help them feel prepared to act in unfamiliar or challenging
social situations and through this independent feeling
of social adeptness self esteem building and training can
take place.
This preparedness does not only apply
to social understandings kids face but also to individual
challenges, frustrations, and successes testing their character
and self esteem. For instance, a child might be faced with
the challenge of accomplishing a goal. It may be getting
a good grade on a test, making a sports team, or saving
money to buy a bike. Whatever it may be, accomplishing
goals and completing challenges will help self
esteem building and training with kids.
When a child can feel satisfaction from
mastering a challenge set before them their self esteem
will be positively affected. This is why it is important
to directly provide kids with the understanding they need
for setting and accomplishing goals. Here are a few things
to cover.
Setting Goals
- What are your interests?
- What are some goals you would like to accomplish?
Accomplishing Goals
- It will not be easy
- It requires a lot of effort on your part
- Write it down and put it in a place where you will see it
- Do something right away towards accomplishing the goal
- Stay focused on the goal and repeat it to yourself daily
- Do not let negative thoughts enter your mind
This type of reinforcement will help equip the child with a better understanding
of the effort it takes to complete a challenge and accomplish a goal.
The better prepared they are of the process the better
their chances are of accomplishing the goal, which results
in self
esteem building and training from the completed task. It is obviously
important here in this example to understand each child
so that realistic goals can be set. Each feeling of accomplishment, no
matter how big or small, will help to build a child’s self esteem, so
parents or adults dealing with multiple kids should make it a priority
to value each accomplishment among kids equally. This will help the child
feel their accomplishment is important.
In closing, experience is the main ingredient in building
self esteem. Experiencing accomplishment, acceptance, and adeptness socially
or individually will play a large role in building self esteem. This is
why it is important to properly prepare kids for the situations they will
face in life. With a better understanding and awareness of the knowledge
essential for thriving in social or individual challenges, a child will
be better prepared to positively affect their self esteem.
How BoostKids Can Help:
BoostKids is a program that can help increase a child’s confidence by teaching social skills to children and building their character. BoostKids has been and is currently being taught in schools, non-profit organizations, and after-school programs. The program is now available as an at-home training program for children and their parents. The key training tool of the BoostKids program is an interactive CD-ROM that shows kids the right-way and the wrong-way to handle social situations. They learn from real kid actors in real-life scenerios!
For more information about what’s included in BoostKids, click here.
ORDER NOW - Free 30-day Trial, click here.
By Charlie Copp, Director of Boost Kids
About the author: Charlie Copp is program
coordinator for BOOST KIDS, an interactive CD ROM-based program for kids
ages eight and up, that teaches, demonstrates, and reinforces the value
of applying people skills and strong character to everyday life. His
work with BOOST KIDS confirms what Copp has always believed: that kids
and teens are hungry for character-building life skills, and with them
gain the confidence needed to succeed in the classroom, on the playing
field, in their interpersonal relationships, and on the job.
