When we talk of self-concept in kids it reflects about how the child feels about himself or herself. It’s all about how your child thinks about himself, his values, skills and his worth.
Self-concept is all about feeling good about oneself, feel accepted and loved by the people around. Your child develops self-concept depending on the way you behave with him. If you respond to him in a positive and caring manner, your child will always have good thoughts about himself and he won’t feel bad about himself. Your love, acceptance and admiration make him cherish his own worth and value.
During the growth process, your child explores his environment and if during this time you give him the needed support and guidance, he will think of himself as a worthy person.
Why does your child need healthy self-concept?
A healthy self-concept is very vital in building your child’s personality. A child who has a negative self-concept will always blame himself for anything wrong happening around. For instance, if any of his classmates turn down any of his request; which might be because of some genuine reason, the child being turned down would always take it upon him personally and feel that he is hated by others.
On the other hand, when a child grows up with a healthy self-concept; he will never feel bad of being rejected or turned down. Instead, he will try to understand why it’s happening and would react in a positive manner.
What can you do as a parent to nurture self-concept in kids?
1. Encourage a healthy environment
It’s very important that your child is provided with a positive and healthy environment at home. Make sure that you as a family live in complete harmony and peace. Each individual in the family must be treated with great love and affection. This will have a positive impact on your child’s mental development and he would also understand the meaning of being happy and loving each other.
2. Indulge in more of family time
A family that spends time together grows in good spirit. It strengthens your bond and even sows in the seeds of happiness in every person in the family. When you stay connected, it becomes easier for the kids to feel more attached with you. Plan out some short family trips every weekend, arrange for some family gatherings, play games or watch a movie together.
3. Encourage open communication
Indulging in healthy talks and discussions is very important as it helps in expressing the thoughts clearly. Kids must be encouraged for an open communication where they can share their thoughts freely. Ask them about their day to day activity, listen to their share of opinions and get to know what all is happening in their life outside home. Communication is indeed the best way of self-expression and sharing some constructive thoughts.
4. Nurture your child’s talent
Don’t be a parent who only has a list of expectations that he or she wants the child to fulfil. A better approach would be to analyze the talent your child has or recognize what all things seek his interest. Nurture his talent and give him the needed support to do things which interest him. If he is fond of drawing; enrol him in a good art and craft class, if he likes music; make sure you find for him the best music school. When you will respect his talent, he will always feel good about himself.
5. Praise your child effectively
It’s very important that your child is given positive and constructive feedback. Do praise your child in an effective manner. And when we say praising, it doesn’t mean you have to reward him with gifts or money. Words such as ‘You are really a good boy or girl’, ‘You are so responsible’, ‘It makes me happy to see you behave so good’ etc. cannot just make the child feel good about himself but also let him realize that his good efforts are indeed being noticed.
6. Build up social skills
Your child must feel good about the people around and for the same, it’s important that his social skills are developed. Allow him to mingle with kids of his age, take him out to social gatherings, and let him meet different set of people. Teach him how each individual is different and how one must adjust with everyone to maintain harmony in relations. When your child understands the difference in personality each individual carries along, he will respect his own identity as well.
7. Teach problem solving skills
Don’t always be in the rush to help your child even before he faces a problem. Give him the time to understand things on his own and tackle problems that he faces. It’s very important that your child learns problem solving skills without relying much on you.
8. Be clear with the rules and limits
You will surely have to set certain limits and rules so as to discipline your child. But while setting the rules and limits, be very clear about your expectation. Your child must know as to why a certain rule has been made and what would likely be the consequences if the rule is broken.
9. Show trust in them
Kids will never develop self-concept unless you make them believe in themselves. And this will happen when you’ll show trust in them. Believe in their potentials and never criticize them on their failure. Always give them the support to rise and face their weaknesses. When you will trust them, their self-esteem will definitely go up.
10. Give them some responsibilities
Always keep your child involved and give him the responsibilities which you feel he can fulfil without much difficulty. You can allot him small tasks at home like arranging his own room, watering the plants, or anything which your child can do as per his age. This will make him feel that he is trusted and valued.
Always remember a sound and healthy self-concept happens to be the base of positive development of a child. A child with healthy self-concept feels loved, and valuable, and to ensure that kids grow up into mature and sensible adults, this is very important.