The most important thing you can give children more important than any material thing you might be concerned about is a sense of “SELF CONFIDENCE”

If we could give children confidence in themselves, they would be able to get all others things needed for themselves. Self-esteem seems to be the foundation of self- confidence. Perhaps both words describe the same quality-keeping self-esteem alive is necessary for each human as water is for plants. Self-esteem is the daily food for emotional health.

Building self-esteem is a process and usually a slow one. Patience and perseverance are important qualities in parents, teachers, therapists and all other caring adults who want to help build self-esteem in the children under their care

HIGH SELF-ESTEEM:

Healthy self-esteem is the capacity to see oneself as valuable and competent, loving and lovable, having certain unique talents and worthwhile personality to share relationships with others. It means having realistic awareness of oneself and one’s rights. It means to honour one’s uniqueness and spiritually to accept one’s life as a gift from God or Nature Since people with healthy self-esteem are usually self-confident they are able to build healthy relationships see themselves as successful and act towards others in non- threatening ways.

LOW SELF-ESTEEM:

People with low self-esteem usually have negative self-image and poor self-concept, which hinders their ability to build relationships, to feel unthreatened, to feel successful, to express their assertiveness, to deal with fear and other strong emotions and to share their own love with others.

Lack of self-esteem and a negative self-image are reflected in failure oriented people and those who downgrade themselves. Even without threats from others, children with low self-esteem tend to think of themselves as unlovable, incompetent and unimportant. Feelings of insecurity, embarrassment, failure and fear abound inside of them

Children with low self-esteem believe they cannot learn, grow or relate successfully. They often forget the length and depth of a relationship especially at times when they feel insecure, depressed, fearful and very needy. They also often feel anxious to please others. They tend to distort the world and people in it so that these people then appear others. The and difficult to face. Children with low self-esteem are constancy afraid of further losing their self-esteem in embarrassing situations.

SUGGESTIONS TO STRENGTHEN SELF-ESTEEM IN CHILDREN:

1. Spend as much time as possible with children, Give undivided, full attention to them. Let them get the feeling that you care enough
2. Listen to their problems and difficulties and even the subtle messages. Listening heals broken self-esteem
3. Accept children and their friends and show interest in the.
4. Don’t hesitate to share the good and bad moment s of your life with them
5. Take the children to special places-picnics, temples, parks, exhibitions etc Expose them to new experiences.
6. Avoid pretensions and be sincere in our reactions and relationships with the children
7. Allow them to share with you their imagination or fantasies and don’t try to challenge them
8. Don’t embarrass them in any way
9. Ask them questions that do not threaten
10. When you ask a child to do things choose tasks that the child can do successful
11. Acknowledge their positive qualities in a non-evaluative way
12. Have realistic Expectations-Let them move at their own pace
13. Avoid boredom as far as possible. Joy and fun are attractive to children
14. Share some of your personal belongings it’s the children
15. Allow children to be of help to you
16. Trust the children and be trustworthy yourself
17. Help them release their tensions through physical exercise
18. Tell them interesting colourful stories
19. Use humour in building relationships with them
20. Convey caring feelings through touch