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I was trolling around looking for toddler related stuff around confidence and came across some very simple things to remember.
I hope others find it useful too.
- Show love - tell your child, as often as possible, that you love him
- Chat - talking together gives the message that you enjoy your child's company
- Listen - show your child you find him interesting and worth listening to
- Play - join in your toddler's games, or if you have household chores to do, ask him to help, to show your child you enjoy spending time with him
- Praise - not just for succeeding but for efforts and attempts too
- Encourage - managing buttons or putting on his own clothes gives a great boost to self-esteem; be ready to step in if he gets into difficulties and gets too frustrated but don't solve every problem
- Provide choices - help your toddler feel he can exert some control over the world by, for example, asking your child to choose his own clothes or which book he'd like to read with you
- Stay one step ahead - try to avert disasters that can lead to loss of confidence, tempers and tears and be aware that the over-confidence shown by some toddlers can falter quite quickly if they constantly fail at all the things they try
- Emphasise good points - concentrate on the positives and try to ignore any annoying behaviour as much as possible
- Provide plenty of activities - trying out lots of things makes it more likely you'll find something your child is good at, even if there are lots of other things he can't manage so well yet
- Encourage friendships - being able to make friends and get on with others plays a big role in building self-esteem, so take an interest and, if possible, invite your child's friends round to play
- Celebrate family life - morning chats in bed or particular ways of saying goodnight not only celebrate family life, but also help your child understand that he has a special place within it
My favourites are praising efforts, and stepping in so they don't get a sense of constantly failing at all things they try.
I got the article from here.
Any comments, thoughts or opinions etc?
Cool list Mr O. Can't really add to it.
Praise really important in my book, ESP from dads - the power of words and all that.
Ta buzz
Hi MrOrange
I know you said you were looking for toddler related help, but as a mother of a teenager ( who is currently walking the tightrope that is otherwise known as hormone road) I think some of the tips you have mentioned also come in handy with the older age group.
A teenager is not very confident, an unsure young human being that needs constant reassurance and the slightest hint of rejection, favouritism for another sibling or supposed disregard for their feelings can send them into a downward spiral of rage and angst.
Encouraging friendships is a different matter, I have learned the hard way that the angels that come and stay at your house or play happily with your child on the laptop/MP3/phone etc. turn into another person entirely when with a group of their peers ( and that includes my own child), similarly a child can often be perceived in a certain way - think of the "punk rocker" helping the old lady to shop for no personal gain.
We can try and judge who is "suitable" but judging a book by it's cover is a dangerous game.
Confidence comes from within, all we can do is encourage our children and be there to catch them no matter what the age.
Mags
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