10 Ways to Improve a Child’s Self-Worth
1. Put children in situations where they can succeed.
2. Expect the child to succeed in a small, specific situation.
3. If your child does not succeed in a specific situation, problem solve and determine what is undermining the their attempts at success.
4. Every time you see your child behaving in the desired way, write it down.
5. Tell someone else about his/her positive behaviors and make sure the child can hear you.
6. Act in a way you want your child to act, and then praise yourself for acting that way.
7. Visualize your child as already being the new positive label, and then relate to him/her with the new label as part of the child.
8. Show respect for the child’s feelings and opinions even though you might not agree with them. Honor your child’s opinions and feelings by saying, “I can understand how you might feel this way.”
9. Be careful to give children comments on their strengths as well as their weaknesses.
10. Be patient. Change is an evolutionary process, not a revolutionary one. It takes time to change. Stay focused and, above all, be consistent.