Raise a Confident Child By Adopting These Simple Tips (Part 1)

Eyinade Eweje

One of the most priceless inputs you can make in your child’s life is teaching them to be bold when they have to be, and have utmost believe in their abilities right from the toddler years. This invariably makes them more expressive and innovative, less fearful and shy, more sociable, gallant in unpleasant or challenging situations, and ultimately, equips them to realize their dreams and face the real world.

Stay on track with these guidelines:

1. Build A Secure, Loving Attachment
It’s top priority to ensure your child feels they are shown so much love, care and attention as this enables them develop a healthy self image, making it more likely for them to be sociable and expressive. Take advantage of every opportunity to prove to your child that you are their biggest fan. Shower them with lots of hugs and kisses, play together, and pay sincere compliments. When enforcing discipline, put a hold on your temper and choose your words carefully. In addition, listen more and emphasize their strengths.

2. Facilitate Competence
Confidence stems from constantly having a sense of accomplishment upon completing a task, which makes children, like adults, feel brave to attempt new tasks.

Work on your child’s expressive skills, encourage their little attempts at self-care and give them age appropriate chores to do in your home to show you believe in their ability. This will enable them record those failed attempts that often precede accomplishment. With each fresh effort they make at mastery, offer genuine praise, pointing out areas that require improvements affectionately and letting them know they can learn from their mistakes. You’ll be grooming an adventurous, independent and brave child ready to learn about and try out new things.

3. Eye to Eye Contact
Shy preschoolers tend to always look away. Try to engage your child’s eyes when talking to him and encourage him to make eye contact with people when speaking to them. Practicing this trick consistently helps in making them bolder to converse freely with people in the long run.

4. Encourage Socialization
Encourage your child to be sociable, start with teaching her to know when to say ‘hello’, ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ when necessary. Also, organize supervised play dates with peers. Visit your friends, relatives and attend family functions together too. Doing these will gradually help them become more comfortable in the company of others.

In addition, teaching and helping them gain mastery of social etiquette will make them less prone to embarrassment, ridicule or isolation outside your home which could give their self esteem a drastic cut.

5. Travelling
Travelling brings about different kinds of positive exposure, if affordable. They will acquire fresh experiences that will boost their knowledge and confidence and will be excited to share these experiences with their friends and yours.

…to be continued.