If you want to bring up a mentally happy and healthy child, you need to focus on bringing up a child who is confident in him or herself. Children who are self-confident are not only more likely to push themselves and try new things, but they are also more likely to explore their emotions and express themselves authentically.

Okay, but how do you boost your child’s confidence for his mental growth? Here are five techniques that can work quite well:

1. Role model confidence

One of the best ways to boost confidence in kids is to model it yourself. Even if you aren’t exactly the most confident person around, do your best to appear confident in front of your kids. If they see you trying things outside your comfort zone, holding your head up high and being brave, they will see this as being normal and healthy and they will be far more likely to follow suit.

2. Praise the effort

Kids’ mental health can be ruined by parents, caregivers and teachers who judge them on the results they achieve rather than the effort they put in. Not every child can be the best at everything, and when they fail, if you show your disappointment it can dent their confidence and make them less likely to try again. However, every child can work hard, and if you praise their effort, it will help to build their confidence so that they won’t be afraid to tackle new challenges in the future.

3. Help them find their passion

That being said, helping them find that one thing they are passionate about can really help to boost kids; confidence. Giving them the time, space and resources to explore their own interests will help them develop their own unique identity that they can be proud of, and the more they learn about their passion, the more confident and mentally healthy they will become.

4. Give them some responsibility

It can be tempting to do everything for your kids, but that won’t help them to gain confidence in their own abilities or to have pride in their own work. It’s far better for their mental health to have them pitch in with chores from picking up and putting away their own toys to helping you cook in the kitchen. They’ll feel like they’ve achieved something and this will do wonders for their confidence.

5. Seek therapy

Sometimes boosting kids’ confidence needs a professional touch. If a child is very self-conscious, shy and fearful of getting involved in daily life, they could benefit from talking their feelings through in an age-appropriate way, and counsellors and therapists are often the people who are best placed to do this.

Here at The Calgary Institute of Counselling, we offer self-esteem counselling tailored to the individual needs of children. Our staff are all fully trained and highly qualified in helping children to reach their full potential, gain confidence and grow in a mentally healthy way.

If your child is struggling with their self-esteem, do not hesitate to get in touch with our compassionate team of confidence-boosting counsellors today. Click here.