31 Little Ways to Boost Your Child's Self Esteem

I think most parents are aware of the tremendous responsibility that we carry when it comes to shaping and supporting a healthy sense of self esteem in our children. With all of the ups and downs of life, a positive sense of self is one of the greatest protective factors for resilience and happiness in children. We know that unconditional consistent love and affection build trust and security, and fill our children with feelings of positive self worth. However, as busy parents deep in the day- to-day interactions of life, sometimes we could use some fresh ideas for how to fill our children’s self-esteem bucket. 

So, in honor of a new year and new beginnings, here’s a list of 31 Different Ways to Boost Your child’s self esteem and make them feel really great. Boosting your child’s self-esteem also helps YOU: it strengthens your relationships, helps you feel better about yourself and your child, identifies values and priorities for yourself and your family, and protects you from the hardships of an uncertain world. 

1. Let your child overhear you complimenting them to other people.
2. Thank your child for something they do to help out, or for just being themself
3. Spend one-on-one time with your child for a designated and uninterrupted amount of time
4. Ask for their help with a task you usually do alone
5. Trust them to do things they never thought they could
6. Tell them the story of how you named them- why is their name special? 
7. Sing and dance together on a regular basis
8. Allow your child to make age-appropriate choices as often as you can
9. Ask them to talk to you about their interests- and actually listen
10. Focus on strengths- but avoid OVER praising
11. Cook a meal together
12. Learn a new skill together
13. Start a family positive affirmation or gratitude jar
14. Emphasize effort instead of outcomes
15. Spontaneously give extra cuddles and smiles
16. Tell each other your favorite jokes and laugh together
17. Ask your child to teach you to do something they are good at
18. Designate screen free time in your home
19. Tell them stories about them as a baby- focusing on happy memories of them 
20. Research your child’s learning style and help them to identify strategies for learning based on this 
21. Get involved in helping others by volunteering in your community 
22. Demonstrate positive self talk and acceptance for yourself
23. Share successes from the day together as a family or at bedtime
24. Read together- select books that nurture positive self identity
25. Create a unique family chant or special handshake
26. Assign them age appropriate chores and responsibilities
27. Connect BEFORE you correct, practice empathy and make an effort to separate their behaviors from their personality 
28. Play, Play, PLAY! 
29. Eat dinner together as a family
30. Create your own special high- five to use when your child tells you about an accomplishment they have made
31. Repeat these activities regularly to make them a familiar and comforting part of family life   

Parents- you know your child better than anyone else. There are so many ways to adapt any of these simple activities into your family life, based on your comfort level and the comfort of your child. Displays of attention do not need to be over-the-top or complicated. In fact, the more natural and authentic these experiences are for your child the more impactful they will be in building a healthy sense of self. The key to a healthy self esteem is the confidence and security that comes with knowing and loving the person that you are, not perfection. Enjoy your time together and let’s make 2022 the year of positive self esteem! You got this!

🎶❤️ Ms. Liz