Building Self-confidence

A confident child is an asset to the nation . A child who is confident has good thinking power. Few tips to make your child confident are given below.What it means to be confident Rahul Sheth, father of 5-year-old Ankush : "My son is a real chatterbox. Hes always up to something - singing, dancing, acting…youd think hes a born performer. But this is only at home. In school, they say he is a mouse and he keeps quiet in front of guests." In all likelihood, Ankushs problem is a lack of confidence. When a person is confident, it means that he has faith in his own abilities and competence; he trusts his own judgement and is not worried about handling new situations; and he is aware of the fact that others value his abilities. This, in turn, makes him more open and outgoing, straightforward, trusting, trustworthy and reliable and determined and able to stick at things. Tips for building confidence in your child The Dos A little thing like establishing routine and making the home environment as predictable as possible goes a long way towards making your child feel secure. Gradually expose them to social situations. First, you could just play with them when others are around. Then encourage them to play with family, friends and other children his age. You could ask your child to recite the nursery rhyme he learnt in school that day or tell a story. Hes bound to get a lot of encouragement and appreciation both from you and your friends. This will develop his social skills and he will not shy away from public situations. Remember to keep activities like watching television and playing computer games down to a minimum, as these activities do not foster the development of social behaviour like conversation, sharing and compromise. Make a list of the things your child is good at and of the things he likes to do. Ask your child to make a list too. Compare both the lists and if your child has left out something you have included, let him know that thats something else hes good at. If you dont have something on your childs list, may be you havent being paying enough attention. If you find this tedious or difficult to do, you could encourage your child to participate in extra-curricular activities like team sports, music lessons or art lessons. Its possible that he may find that hes got a talent for something. In addition, he will meet new people and learn a new skill. Ask your child to help you. This will make him feel important and competent. For instance, if he is strong, you can ask him to help you carry groceries from the car. If he is working on something new, give him plenty of support and make him feel that youre confident that he will succeed. Last, but not least, give him plenty of encouragement. The Donts Do not question his competence and undermine his ability to do things for himself. If youre worried, keep an eye on him, but try not to interfere. Do not compare him to other children and find him wanting. Confidence in your childs ability and competence does not necessarily mean that you should leave him to his own devices.

A confident child is an asset to the nation . A child who is confident has good thinking power. Few tips to make your child confident are given below.

What it means to be confident

Rahul Sheth, father of 5-year-old Ankush : "My son is a real chatterbox. He's always up to something - singing, dancing, acting…you'd think he's a born performer. But this is only at home. In school, they say he is a mouse and he keeps quiet in front of guests."

In all likelihood, Ankush's problem is a lack of confidence. When a person is confident, it means that he has faith in his own abilities and competence; he trusts his own judgement and is not worried about handling new situations; and he is aware of the fact that others value his abilities. This, in turn, makes him more open and outgoing, straightforward, trusting, trustworthy and reliable and determined and able to stick at things.

Tips for building confidence in your child

The Dos

• A little thing like establishing routine and making the home environment as predictable as possible goes a long way towards making your child feel secure.
• Gradually expose them to social situations. First, you could just play with them when others are around. Then encourage them to play with family, friends and other children his age. You could ask your child to recite the nursery rhyme he learnt in school that day or tell a story. He's bound to get a lot of encouragement and appreciation both from you and your friends. This will develop his social skills and he will not shy away from public situations.
• Remember to keep activities like watching television and playing computer games down to a minimum, as these activities do not foster the development of social behaviour like conversation, sharing and compromise.
• Make a list of the things your child is good at and of the things he likes to do. Ask your child to make a list too. Compare both the lists and if your child has left out something you have included, let him know that that's something else he's good at. If you don't have something on your child's list, may be you haven't being paying enough attention.
• If you find this tedious or difficult to do, you could encourage your child to participate in extra-curricular activities like team sports, music lessons or art lessons. It's possible that he may find that he's got a talent for something. In addition, he will meet new people and learn a new skill.
• Ask your child to help you. This will make him feel important and competent. For instance, if he is strong, you can ask him to help you carry groceries from the car.
• If he is working on something new, give him plenty of support and make him feel that you're confident that he will succeed.
• Last, but not least, give him plenty of encouragement.

The Don'ts

• Do not question his competence and undermine his ability to do things for himself. If you're worried, keep an eye on him, but try not to interfere.
• Do not compare him to other children and find him wanting.
• Confidence in your child's ability and competence does not necessarily mean that you should leave him to his own devices.