1. Express pride in their accomplishments. Let your child know when you feel they have accomplished something. Telling them you are proud of what they have done builds their self-confidence and gives them the desire to try again. Let your child overhear you praising them to others. I remember the time when I knew my dad was proud of me was when I heard him telling someone else about my grade-point average and test scores. I make it a point to praise my son when he is playing sports or for academics. As a result he believes that he is a great athlete and student. He has confidence in his abilities.
2. Assign household chores. Assign chores that your child needs to do on a daily or weekly basis. Having a household chore to accomplish makes a child feel valuable to the family unit. It teaches adult skills and responsibility. As your child completes chores they will have a feeling of self-worth and confidence that they can accomplish tasks. Younger children can help fold laundry, scrub floors, and put their dishes in the sink when finished. School-age children can be responsible for making their own beds. All children can help clean up toys.
3. Don’t stereotype your child. Stereotyping our children is a very harmful practice. Children often grow into the label that we give them. Listen to your child and do not compare them to other children. Labels can be good as long as they are positive labels that reflect inner personality traits. Also be careful when focusing on physical traits. They are not lasting and will teach your child that you value physical characteristics above more important character traits.
4. Help your child excel. It is important that every child have something that they enjoy doing and are good at. Let your child try out different sports, dance, drama, or music until they find something that they really enjoy. It might turn out that your son enjoys playing an instrument more than throwing a football but that is okay. The important thing is that your support your child in whatever activity they choose.
5. Listen to your child. Really listening to your child when they are talking to you tells your child that they are important. Stop what you are doing and give your child your complete attention. Getting down on eye level is important too. If your child feels like you never listen they will stop talking to you and telling you things. If a parent doesn’t listen a child will soon feel like their opinion and feelings are not valued.