Read 7 proven tips to boost your child’s confidence: Written by Kidz4Mation's Seema Thobhani

Raise Confident Courageous Kids

Do you think your child would be happier and/more successful if he/she was more

confident?

Parents who consciously and proactively help their child to develop emotionally and build life skills such as trust, confidence, self-esteem, positivity and empathy alongside their education and technical skills may in doing so be reserving a seat at the top table in life for their child. But nurturing one’s offspring in this way puts the spotlight on parents. “Until I became a parent, I never knew I had the capacity to love so much.” This comment reflects the new emotional frontiers we cross when we bring a child into the world. Parenting is, for most, a cocktail of joy, laughter, fun… chaos and high stress levels.

Let us look at The 3 A’s of Positive Parenting:

Acceptance - This requires great courage from parents but accepting the children as they are (not comparing them to another child) can help us in raising their confidence.

Availability - Gift of time is biggest gift parents can give a child because a child wants more time and love than anything from their parents. As Jesse Jackson nicely quotes, ‘Your children need your presence more than your presents’

Appreciation – This is something that everyone craves for. All human beings want approval. It is very important for you as a parent to appreciate children publicly and criticise privately. Children often misbehave because they want attention from their parents. So appreciate their good behaviour and apprehend their bad behaviour!

Read 7 proven tips to boost your child’s confidence:

Stand Up For Themselves - Encourage them to stand up for themselves and for what they think without being mean or hurting others.

Use Confident Body Language - Encourage them to use their body and eyes: stand up straight and look people in the eye when they talk. To talk in a level tone, not too loud but not too soft.

Stay Calm - Always encourage them to try and stay calm. If they don’t feel calm, they can have a little walk or take some deep breaths to calm themselves down.

Encourage them to speak what they want - When they are not happy doing something, they should just say so. They don’t have to agree all the time, they should be able to say what they feel.

A lesson from a mistake - It's OK to make mistakes! Things turn out well often after going wrong a few times, but it’s really important to learn when things go wrong. There is a quote that says, ‘you learn from your mistakes’ and we believe in this quote. Sometimes, letting children make a mistake is more beneficial than jumping in and saying, “Oh don’t worry, I’ll help you!” By doing this, you are making them dependant on you. Therefore, a lesson learnt in life is a value earned for life!

Walk with Confidence - Others are more likely to respect them and not pick on them if they act, talk and walk with confidence

Avoid comparison – This is the worst thing a parent/carer can do to their child. For example, “Why can’t you play football like Mike?” This will hurt them at heart and will constantly remind them of their weaknesses. Let your child know that you appreciate his/her uniqueness which will help their confidence level.

If started from an early age, confidence building will help children become more fulfilled and a positive adult!

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE:

Aerodynamically the bumblebee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn't know that so it goes on flying anyway.  ~Mary Kay Ash

The above quote explains why we must not stop our children to explore things that are within their reach and safe. Let them make mistakes and learn from them too!

Kidz4Mation’s specialises in overcoming children’s shyness and fear of speaking in public. Its unique workshops have helped over thousands of children in raising their confidence. Please visit http://www.confidenceworkshops.kidz4mation.com/ to find out about our Shyness and Lack of Confidence Workshops.