Boost Kids’ Confidence: Top Self-Esteem Activities 

Do you want to learn self-esteem activities for kids? Self-esteem refers to the personal view one has of oneself, impacting feelings and behaviors. For kids, developing healthy self-esteem is crucial. It influences their emotional health, social abilities, and learning performance. High self-esteem helps children cope with mistakes and try new things.

Psychologists emphasize self-esteem’s role in child development. Carl Rogers, a humanistic psychologist, highlighted the need for unconditional positive regard from parents. Cognitive theorists like Albert Bandura have observed that self-efficacy is connected to self-esteem and contributes to a child’s belief in their capabilities.

Self-esteem activities for kids

Positive Affirmation Boards

• Objective: To remind children of their strengths and positive qualities.
• Materials Needed: Poster board, markers, stickers, and magazines for cut-outs.
• How-to:
  • Sit down with your child and discuss qualities they love about themselves and their achievements.
  • Decorate the poster board together, write out positive affirmations, and add decorative elements.
  • Hang the board in their room where they can see it every day, reinforcing positive self-image.

Praise Effort, Not Just Achievement

• Activity: Create a “Praise Jar” where you add notes recognizing efforts in tasks, not just successes.
• How-to:
  • Start by decorating a jar with your child to personalize it. This can be done using stickers, paint, or markers.
  • Explain the purpose of the “Praise Jar” to your child: recognizing their efforts regardless of outcomes.
  • Whenever you notice your child making an effort, write a note describing what you observed. For instance, “I saw how hard you worked on your math homework tonight.”
  • Place the notes in the jar. Set a time to read these together, discuss the efforts, and celebrate perseverance each week.

Goal Setting with Visual Aids

• Objective: To teach children to set and achieve goals, boosting their sense of accomplishment.
• Materials Needed: Paper, markers, stickers, and a pinboard.
• How-to:
  • Help your child identify a few short-term goals they want to achieve.
  • Create a visual timeline or goal ladder on paper. Use markers for drawing and stickers to mark milestones.
  • Celebrate the success together as each goal is achieved, adding a sticker or a special mark to indicate progress.

Role-Playing Various Scenarios

• Objective: To improve social skills and self-expression.
• Materials Needed: None.
• How-to:
  • Choose a scenario or let your child come up with one. It could be dealing with a disagreement with a friend or asking a teacher for help.
  • Take turns playing different roles. You might play with a friend or the teacher, and your child can practice responding.
  • Discuss the feelings involved and different ways to handle the situation, reinforcing positive interaction and empathy.
  • .

Skills Workshop at Home

• Objective: To cultivate new skills and interests, increasing feelings of competence.
• Materials Needed: Depends on the activity (e.g., cooking supplies, art materials, simple science experiment kits).
• How-to:
  • Choose a new skill or hobby your child has shown interest in.
  • Schedule regular sessions to learn and practice this new skill together.
  • Provide constructive feedback and praise their efforts and improvements, not just the outcomes.

Emotion Journaling

• Objective: To improve the recognition and communication of emotions.emotions.
• Materials Needed: Journal or notebook, pens, colored pencils.
• How-to:
  • Provide a simple notebook and some pens or pencils. Decorate the notebook together to make it more inviting.
  • Encourage your child to write or draw about their day each evening. Consider both the events that occurred and the emotions associated with them.
  • Periodically, sit down with your child to read through the journal entries. This can be a calm, intimate time to discuss their thoughts and feelings, reinforcing the value of introspection.

Physical Fitness Routine

• Objective: To boost physical health and self-esteem.
• Materials Needed: Any sports equipment or none (e.g., for yoga, stretching exercises).
• How-to:
  • Introduce regular physical activity that your child enjoys, such as biking, swimming, or simple stretching exercises.
  • Participate together or encourage your child to join a team, highlighting the fun in the activity rather than the competition.
  • Celebrate the effort and enjoyment of being active, regardless of performance.

Reading Time

How-to:

• Create a cozy reading nook in your home with comfortable seating, good lighting, and easy access to books.
• Set aside regular daily reading time for you to read together. For younger children, read aloud to them. Older children can read independently and then share what they’ve read.
• Discuss the stories with your child, asking questions about the characters and plot, and relate the themes back to real-life situations, especially those involving moral or ethical decision-making.

By following these detailed steps, parents can effectively support their children in developing robust self-esteem through meaningful activities.

Watch and Read!

1. “The Dot” by Peter H. Reynolds – This book inspires children to be courageous in their creativity and demonstrates how a single dot can lead to self-discovery and confidence.
2. “I Like Myself!” by Karen Beaumont – Illustrated by David Catrow, this book is a lively and positive ode to self-esteem and self-love, teaching kids to appreciate everything about themselves, inside and out.
3. “Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon” by Patty Lovell -The story revolves around Molly Lou Melon, a small girl with a big personality who teaches kids the significance of self-confidence and celebrating one’s uniqueness.
4. “Inside Out” (2015) – This animated movie helps children recognize their emotions and emphasizes the importance of accepting all parts of themselves, which is crucial for building self-esteem.
5. “Kung Fu Panda” (2008) – Through Po, an unlikely hero, children learn about the importance of self-belief and being true to themselves in order to reach their full potential.
6. “Akeelah and the Bee” (2006) – Akeelah’s experience in spelling bees highlights the impact of perseverance, mentorship, and self-confidence, inspiring kids to believe in themselves and their abilities.

FAQ