11 ways to help you encourage and strengthen your young children
As adults, we all know that it is very important to nurture a positive way of thinking in our children that will help them cope successfully with obstacles and not to despair even when it is difficult, but it is not always clear to us how it can be developed from an early age. If you are a parent then it is very important that you know how to do it, and if you do not know where to start, we have put together 11 clever methods to encourage and strengthen the self-confidence of your young children. Each of these tips will help you and them nurture a correct frame of mind and an empowering perspective on life, things that will help your children in a variety of ways in the present and future. If you read this article well and adopt these habits and suggestions you can also enjoy a better relationship with your family, plenty of quality time with your little ones and help them develop and achieve.
1. "Catch" them behave well
Most parents spend a lot of time and energy looking for their children's problematic behaviors and behaviors, but almost completely neglect the other side of the coin. To encourage your children to behave better and not to suppress their spirits completely, find the times and places where children show positive actions and then show them that such things can not be ignored. At these moments, their behavior must be given approval and appreciation in the form of a verbal compliment or gesture, such as preparing a favorite dinner dish, reading a few more pages of the book you read to them before bedtime.
2. Play the game "What if?"
Ask your child questions like "What would happen if you found out you could fly?" Or, "How would you run the school or kindergarten if there were no adults?" Small children can be very creative, but only if they get what to do. Such exercises allow them to develop creative thinking, encourage them to share it in an amusing way and also make them think about a variety of areas related to real life in a way that suits their young age.
3. Praise them when they experience a particularly challenging experience
Nothing is stronger than a compliment or a word of encouragement in time and at the right moment, and sometimes such a gesture is much more powerful (and effective) when your children experience something, not after they succeed or fail. One should not exaggerate praise, but as in the case of the first section of this article, most of the positive effect comes from the very fact that you pay attention to and encourage their attempts. Children who get such reinforcement will have a greater motivation to face challenges and try new things, and they will not give up easily even if they do not get what they want for the first time.
4.Play together in LEGO or similar games
If your kids are playing LEGO, or in any similar game involving building blocks of one kind or another, you have a great opportunity to strengthen their confidence and encourage them to handle tasks that will open their cognitive skills. For example, ask them to build a roofless house, a car only from a certain color division, a familiar area such as a forest or amusement park and the like. The confidence they will gain in the success of these tasks will serve them much later in life, and if they do not succeed, you should only try again and give them easier goals.
5. Help them create a daily routine for themselves
Small children can get a lot of reinforcement and positive support from a general framework that will give them confidence and help them predict, to a greater or lesser extent, what is going to happen on their day. The intention is not a fixed schedule that includes detailed tasks and expectations that are stressful and incapable of being flexible, but an agenda that will enable them to live a life without fear or uncertainty about the future.
6. Set a goal for the end of the summer, or any other period
Many adults tend to set goals for themselves at the beginning of a new year or when the summer comes, and there is no reason why you as parents should not encourage your children to do the same, although of course the goal should be appropriate for their age and condition. Goal setting is in itself an ability that is important for your children to acquire early in life, and if they succeed in meeting them, with your help, of course, it will also contribute to their sense of self-worth and ability. Start by setting small goals for limited but flexible periods of time, then praise them for progress or provide them with encouragement and tools to cope better if they have difficulty.
7. Ask them to tell you about the "roses and thorns" at the end of each day
As you probably guess, the roses are the good things, and more focused, the successes your children have experienced every day, and the thorns are the bad things, the difficulties and the disappointments. This "ceremony" will help your children feel much more satisfied and proud of their successes, which will lead to improved self-confidence and encourage them to continue to cope with challenges, while helping them understand that difficulties and moments of lack of success are part of life. It is possible and even desirable to make this ceremony a family tradition, in which everyone shares their roses and thorns at the dinner table or while watching television together.
8. Avoid the word "but ..."
Positive feedback, reinforcement of desired behavior, and recognition of the strengths of our children are actions that may contribute greatly to their self-confidence in their abilities. The problem is that sometimes parents end their praise with a little criticism, or, in other words, a little mourning. For example: "Well done, you arranged the room today, but I'd like you to do it more often," or "I'm very glad you put together your new puzzle, but why did not you put it back?" Following these formulations, the early words of praise lose their strength and the children may remain with the feeling that they have disappointed you and that, no matter what, they are always wrong. This is, of course, an exaggeration that stems from the fact that their worldview is not yet developed and mature enough to understand that it is possible to praise and offer improvement simultaneously, so at least until they mature, you should not put it this way.
9. hug your children
Yes, it's that simple - if you want to encourage your children and instill in their minds the principles of competence, coping, etc., you can not neglect the subject of physical gestures. As with anything else in life, it's best not to overdo it and just remember that sometimes hugging, kissing, or actively listening to your thoughts without interfering are the actions that will contribute to your child's welfare more than any other positive reinforcement.
10. Talk to your children about unrealistic things
Part of the reason why many children today grow up with problems of self-image, introversion and fear of failure is today's popular culture, which sometimes compromises their self-confidence because they do not know how to separate reality from fiction. TV shows, magazines and even computer games show patterns of external appearance and character that are far from reality. Children may be very critical of themselves, sometimes unconsciously, because they do not fit into these patterns. That is why it is very important to talk to your children and to explain to them what is real and what is not; Try to explain to them that pictures in a fashion magazine are sometimes transformed, that the hero in their computer game does things that can not be done in reality and that the way we need to talk and relate to each other is very different from what you see in the news, reality shows and so on. The purpose of such conversations should not be to shatter their world of imagination completely, but only to make sure that they do not compare themselves and the real world to the content they see on the computer, television and the press.
11. Let your children make up a family holiday or a shared game
Children never need a special reason to be happy or celebrate, and nothing helps strengthen their sense of competence more than the trust of the people closest to them. So why do not you take advantage of these two facts and offer your children to invent a special holiday that you will celebrate together? This holiday can be an opportunity for them and for you to focus on something positive in your life to strengthen positive thinking patterns and encourage creativity and thought. You can also offer them a game to play together. While it is necessary to determine some basic rules, "Who can eat more chocolate" is not a very positive game, but if you do, you and your children will have a very enjoyable activity. Such a fun game will do wonders for the mind of your little ones and will open them up to new possibilities and experiences in the future, ones that will come from them and new experiences in general that will not deter or even excite them.
Credit to the website - www.baba-mail.co.il
:O omg good post!
Really enjoyed reading this. I don't personally have children, but I can relate because my sister has two young children, the oldest at 1 years old and the youngest just a few months old. I'll definitely have her read this, she'd find it incredibly useful!
this is great!!! :)