Taking Care Of Your Child's Self Esteem

Source: dentalplans.com Author: dentalplans Published date: 2007-06-10  

"Self-esteem plays a major role in all aspects of a child's life, having an appreciable impact on learning, school performance, and peer relationships," according to renowned self-esteem expert and child psychologist, Dr. Robert Brooks.

This fall, as your child returns to the classroom, he may be facing some of his own challenges with self-esteem. For a child who has learning or attention problems, school can be an especially difficult environment. His constant struggles with schoolwork may result in low self-esteem, and in turn may also affect his ability to enjoy the broader school experience, such as supportive friendships, social, or physical activities. Fortunately, there is a lot you can do to nurture your child's self-esteem.

As you work to help your child succeed in school, you may find it natural to focus on his difficulties, but his strengths are import too. Try taking a broader view of your child's abilities by embracing his strengths as well as his struggles. For example, if your child is having difficulty with a reading assignment, but excels in math, try doing the math homework first to give him more confidence for completing his other assignments. If your child is a natural athlete, sign him up for a sport of his choice through your local parks and recreation, or encourage him to try out for a school team. You can do the same if he has an artistic or musical talent or a special interest in a hobby. Together, you and your child can understand his learning and attention problems as workable challenges, not insurmountable obstacles.

Some important ways you can foster self-esteem in children include:

1. Help your child recognize and honor his strengths as well as his struggles.

2. Communicate confidence in your child's abilities and his future. Expect success.

3. Help him set goals that are realistic and achievable.

4. To ensure success, have him divide large projects into smaller, more manageable tasks.

5. Encourage your child to do his personal best. Don't compare him to other kids.

6. Help him understand that mistakes are an inevitable (and valuable) part of any learning experience.

7. Reward his effort and progress, not perfection.

8. Seek opportunities for your child to shine.

You can learn more about coping with self-esteem issues and other obstacles to success resulting from learning and attention problems at SchwabLearning.org. You can even download a free "Expert Answers" booklet on self-esteem written by Dr. Robert Brooks.