Confidence is important because it allows us to feel prepared for whatever life throws at us, good and bad. While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with being shy or introverted, helping your child with their confidence will give them a good head start. They will likely feel more comfortable raising their hand in class, making new friends and taking risks without you there to hold their hand every step of the way. With that said, here are some tips from a prep school in Lincolnshire on how to raise a confident child.
Help Your Child Experience New Things
Encourage your child to pursue new hobbies, meet new people and generally just experience new things so that they learn nothing is as scary as it first seems. What’s more, new experiences will help them develop various skills that will help them with their confidence.
Encourage Independence
Your child needs to learn that they are capable of anything they put their mind to, and they can only do so if you let them stand on their own two feet. If you swoop in and help them solve problems all the time, they won’t develop the skills to do so without you. Give them some responsibilities around your home that only they are responsible for. This could be taking the bins out once a day or setting the table before dinner. Praise them when they complete these tasks successfully. This will help them feel capable and show them that they can be trusted.
Promote a Growth Mindset
If your child makes a mistake, do not be too hard on them. Instead, teach them that they are only human, and mistakes are inevitable. Perhaps share a recent experience of your own in which you made a mistake, or something didn’t go to plan for you, to show your child that even adults do things wrong sometimes. This will help them with their confidence because they will learn that no-ones perfect, it’s not just them that does things wrong. Teach them that the best thing to do is learn from the mistake and move forward with a positive, optimistic attitude.
