Self-confidence is essential for all aspects of healthy human development, especially in the development of children.

Confidence makes children more likely to be resilient and to pursue individuality, and less likely to develop emotional problems later in life.

They learn more, achieve more and are generally all around happier in life. Here are a few tips that parents can utilize to help develop confidence in their kids:

• Love & accept your child.
  • This tip may seem obvious yet cannot be stated enough. Unconditional love and consistency build a foundation for confidence. Love them well and love them consistently. Making sure that your children feel loved and accepted by you means they will be more likely to love and accept themselves.
• Let your child make their own choices.
  • When children are allowed to make choices from a young age, they gain confidence in their own judgment. This can be implemented in an age appropriate fashion, such as giving young children a choice between one or two options. However, the more you are able to give your kids the ability to choose, the more powerful and confident they will feel.
• Give your children responsibilities.
  • Giving children responsibilities around the house helps with development in many ways, including developing confidence. Give your children jobs that they can do successfully, and that will make them feel useful. With opportunity, good instruction, and patience from parents, kids can master skills in the home, which in turn, makes them more confident to master things outside of the home.

In the next part of the series, we will discuss the four remaining tips for building confidence in your children.

Written by: Amanda Dempsey, LAMFT