As your child grows, confidence is key. Having low self-esteem as a child can have a detrimental effect on how they react to the world around them as they grow, and it’s important to help build your child’s confidence as much as possible when they are still young. Starting young will help to prepare them more for the new experiences heading their way.

If you’re looking for ways to improve your child’s self-confidence, the following steps can help you.

Prepare Them for Life’s Important Changes

One of the biggest tests of confidence comes in the form of milestones and new experiences, such as moving home, starting school for the first time, and the need for children to learn new skills for themselves and not depend so much on their parents or other adults. Even the most confident children can suffer a big confidence knock if these big experiences don’t go to plan, which is why it’s important to prepare your child as much as possible for any significant change in life.

Starting school can be one of the biggest shocks to a child’s system, but it’s one of those experiences where you really should prepare to get off on the right foot for the betterment of your child’s education. For better preparation, you can enroll your child in a program before they start school, teaching kindergarten readiness for your kids.

Help Your Child Be More Independent

As their child gets older, one of the hardest things for a parent to do is to let them fulfill tasks themselves. The natural instinct to help your child do everything and protect them as much as possible can hinder their abilities to grow more independent. However, independence is crucial in confidence building, as your child needs to feel able and equipped to look after themselves when the occasion arises, such as being at school for the first time, away from a parent, and needing to think for themselves.

There are many ways you can help a child build independence whilst still being able to help where needed. This includes:

• Showing your child how to do something, such as a chore or activity around the house, and then asking them to do it themselves without your help

• Encouraging your child to take a trip, such as a school trip, or with a friend, where they can be away from you and build their confidence skills in a safe environment

• Encourage your child to make their own decisions, even if it’s as simple as how they want to decorate their bedroom

Praise Your Child and Be Positive

Your child will work off the feedback you give them, especially when they are still young and want to impress you. If your child has made something for you, fulfilled a task or done well at school, make sure that you praise them in order to help them to feel more confident about their efforts. It’s also important to avoid overly praising for the sake of it; use those times of failure to teach your child about failing also being a valuable lesson. Don’t just tell them they’ve done a great job if they haven’t; help them understand how to do better.