10 Ways to Help Build Your Child’s Confidence

Louise Treherne, former Director of Character Education at Role Models shares her top tips for developing children’s confidence.

One of the biggest gifts we can give our children is confidence. Throughout their early years, children are building their internal picture of how they view themselves; their self-esteem, self-efficacy and mindset are being shaped. What can we do to positively impact these important life skills? Here are 10 ways we can help build our child’s confidence during their early years, with phrases to help encourage them:

• Ask your child for their help - “I need your help with this, can you help me count/sort/cut/fix/switch this on.”
• Challenge them - “Can you try doing it a different way?”
• Help them understand and name their emotions - “You seem [angry/sad/jealous...] – where in your body do you feel it, and can you describe it?”
• Develop their curiosity - “I wonder what might happen if we [add one more/turn it upside down…]”
• Provide opportunities for your child to take control and make decisions - “What shall we play on first at the playground?”, “Which job shall we start with?”
• Praise perseverance - “You kept trying, even when it didn’t work the first time, well done!”
• Positively frame ‘tricky’ things - “This looks like a challenge! It’s going to be fun!
• Respect and trust your child’s responses - “That’s ok if you’re feeling a little shy, you’ll know when it feels right to come and say hello.”
• Encourage and develop independence - “I know you can do this on your own, I’m going to leave you to it but I’m here if you need help.”
• Help them see their progress - “Do you remember when you needed my help to [put your coat on/get dressed/tidy up…] and now look at you! You can do it all on your own.”

If you enjoyed this article and found it to be useful, you can check out more of our early childcare resources in our Family Resource Zone!

And, if you’re not yet a Bright Horizons parent, but are interested in what our nurseries can offer your child on their exciting educational journey, book a personal tour at your local nursery today!