Tips for Encouraging Self-Awareness and Self-Esteem in Young Children

Self-esteem is a person's character and value. It's a person's many achievements; how well they relate to other people; their strengths and weaknesses; and a person's independence. At times, we all fail, but it's not really failure, but rather a lesson in life that takes us one step back. That's when we pick ourselves up, and try to do better. Sometimes it may take more than one time to accomplish our achievement.

Children become curious about who they are and where they come from. They learn self-awareness to enhance their self-esteem, and we should inspire them to identify and express their feelings. Children want to know that they are wanted, loved and appreciated.

Children need encouragement and praise. They need to be able to make decisions, so they can feel confident about themselves. Children's self-esteem coincides with respect, which leads to building trust and confidence. Children need to have that sense of achievement and be able to learn and appreciate what makes them special, as well as others around them. They need to learn to relate and get along with others. Parents are the primary role model in their children's lives - children listen to what they say.

Here are some activities that can help build self-awareness and self-esteem in young children:

All About Me Box: Have the children bring in and decorate a shoebox. Then let the children take their decorated shoebox home and place some of their favorite personal items in their box (their favorite toy, pictures of their family, friends or pets, a favorite book). Schedule a day or two where the children can bring in their boxes. At group time, allow each child to show their items and have them explain what makes them special.