Help Your Child Develop Confidence
Techniques to help students succeed in the classroom
These strategies help children of all ages develop the confidence they need to succeed, both in and out of the classroom.
Set a Routine. School is a routine. The sooner that young children are familiar with a routine, the sooner they will feel comfortable and confident. Even if school hasn’t started yet, you can begin to emulate school routines by establishing schedules around eating breakfast, getting up and getting dressed, and bedtimes.
Set Goals. Practice setting goals by working together towards clear, achievable, and measurable goals. When children work toward an objective, they build confidence in their abilities. This confidence transfers from one area of life to another.
Give Them an ‘A’ for Effort. Children who consistently give their best effort are more likely to persist and succeed. Whether it’s working on a project, studying for a test, practicing for a game—children should always be giving their best effort.
Don’t Praise Their Intelligence. Intelligence is innate and not something that children can control. If children are consistently praised for something that they essentially have no control over, they will feel powerless and unable to find a solution when they don’t succeed. Instead of saying, “you are so smart,” try “you worked really hard. Awesome job!”
It’s Okay to Fail. Students with little confidence are afraid to fail, so they don’t try. This is a protection mechanism. Teach them that’s it’s OK to fail. Everyone who tries will fail at one point or another—it’s part of the process. Tell them not to worry about the mistakes and help them to focus on failure as a learning experience.
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