Self-esteem in children: the secret to teaching your child to love himself

Studies on the child development show that self-esteem and self-confidence are among the most important pillars in the formation of an individual.

In this sense, building a solid foundation of self-love should begin in early childhood. For this, it is important that parents offer love, security and acceptance to their children, ensuring that they grow up knowing that they are loved.

Build a solid foundation of self esteem in children is crucial to their overall well-being and future success. Therefore, it is essential to provide them with a safe environment to express themselves and be who they really are, without making comparisons with their siblings or peers.

When a child is accepted and loved unconditionally, it makes him accept himself and learn to love himself.

An expert's opinion

Meghna Yadav, child psychologist and head of training at KLAY, emphasized the importance of self-esteem in a recent interview with HT Lifestyle.

She highlighted that children with a healthy sense of self-worth, self-acceptance and self-awareness tend to thrive in life.

These children have the confidence to explore new opportunities, do their best, and demonstrate resilience in the face of challenges.

Parents and teachers play a fundamental role in this process, recognizing each child as a unique individual, with different skills and interests.

Tips to promote self-esteem in children

According to Meghna Yadav, the main ways to teach a child to love themselves are:

• Actively listening and acknowledging their thoughts and feelings, helping them to name and manage their emotions effectively
• Stimulating the development of an emotional vocabulary, which improves your ability to express yourself and understand your emotions;
• Demonstrating through actions that children are loved, kind and capable;
• Being positive role models, as children learn to develop a positive image of themselves by observing their caregivers and teachers;
• Constantly providing positive reinforcement and words of encouragement;
• Allowing children the freedom to make mistakes and discussing the value of failures, sharing personal experiences;
• Implementing a balanced feedback mechanism, focusing on habits rather than labeling the child himself;
• Setting realistic expectations and achievable goals;
• Teaching them to face and deal with unpleasant feelings and disappointments.

These are all relatively simple attitudes, but they make all the difference in creating a self-assured person who respects himself and knows how to deal with his feelings in an intelligent way.

Therefore, parents must adopt these measures in their children's daily lives, ensuring that they grow up knowing their true value and how much they are loved.