Are Your Kids Lacking Confidence? Here's What You Can Do to Help Them

There are loads of kids out there who are afraid to connect with new people and hardly ever put their hands up when the teacher asks a question, even if they know the answer all the time. A little bit of confidence can take them so much further in life and in their studies, as well. As a parent, it is your responsibility to support your son or daughter in developing a healthy confidence that will help them achieve their goals and realize their dreams. If you don’t know where to start, you will find a few tips below.

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Socializing

If your child is happy and content in their family environment, but shy in school and playgroups, it might be time to go out socializing with them. Even if you only visit friends or neighbors, it will help them develop the skills and the knowledge to talk to different people. You can also try taking them to the local library club or to work with you for a couple of hours, so they will get used to different environments and faces from an early age.

Meeting People of All Ages

While your kids might be familiar with you and your partner, as well as kids their age, they would probably feel nervous around an older person, especially of their grandparents live far away or are no longer around. It is important that they learn how to connect with people of all ages, including teenagers and the elderly. Give them some tasks, such as taking a letter over to next door that was delivered to you, or even send cookies with them, so they can gradually build their confidence.

New Environments

If you have recently moved house and your child is struggling with getting used to their new environment, it might be a good idea to help them explore and get familiar with the place and the new people. If their confidence has been knocked back because they lost their old friends, you might need to be there when they make new ones. Take them to the local park and talk to other moms. Once your child knows that it is safe to talk to new people, they can’t help but copy your behavior.

Connecting with Animals

If your child is withdrawn among other kids and people, you can help them deal with their emotions and fears by letting them connect with animals. Even if you can’t get a pet yourself, you can borrow a dog from your friends, take your little one to a petting zoo, or sign up for horse riding classes. Shy kids usually open up and flourish among animals, as they don’t feel the pressure to fit in.

Drama Lessons

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If your child has issues with communication and expressing themselves, it is a good idea to find a drama club for kids nearby. Find a class that involves sensory motivation, dance, singing, and acting as well, so later your child can choose which one they prefer. Drama can boost any child’s confidence, as they can succeed in communication and track their own progress. Many kids have come out of their shells after starting drama. They are also likely to receive positive affirmations and praises.

Speech Therapy

If your child is shy because they have a speech problem, you will need to find a professional to tackle the issue as soon as possible. Kids’ brain is fluid at an early age, and they can learn new ways and habits easier. Search for a Speech Therapy practitioner in your local area, or get a referral from your child’s school or doctor. You want your child to be able to communicate without worrying about bullying and mockery.  

Puppets

Do you remember Darci Lynne, the winner of America’s Got Talent? She used to be a shy girl, and she won a talent competition. You can use the same method to help your child express himself through the puppets. If they are dealing with difficult emotions or would like to escape from the noisy classroom and reflect on life, giving them a puppet will help them more than one way.

Positive Affirmations

As a parent, you will have to be mindful of your child’s emotions, sensitivity, and fears, and make sure that you are not making matters worse. Use positive affirmations and praises, even if they feel like they always need to match the expectations of their peers. While it is impossible to protect your child from negative comments at school and in their peer group, you can compensate the effect by giving them praises and boosting their confidence.

Learning Support

If your child is a slow learner, or is struggling in school, they are more likely to become withdrawn. You can get a private tutor or get them in additional classes where they can catch up with the rest of the pupils and celebrate their achievements. Sometimes kids can’t help but compare themselves with others, and feeling inferior doesn’t help them develop confidence.

Sports

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Apart from drama and horse riding, sports can help your child think more positively about themselves. You will have to find a sport they are interested in and will be likely to engage with for a long time. If they can become better than the majority of boys at football, they will have a confidence boost every time there is a game in school. Competitive and team sports are the best for kids with low confidence.

Whether you know what caused your child’s low confidence or not, there are plenty of ways you can help them come out of their shell and flourish. Find an activity they can engage with and get good at, so they receive praises and positive affirmations. Lead by example and show them how to connect with people from all walks of life and of different ages. Confident kids get further in life, when it comes to career choices and progression, decision making, or even choosing a future partner.

Helping Shy Kids Come Out Of Their Shells

We all coo and aww when we introduce our kids to someone for the first time and their reaction is to go red in the face and retread behind our legs to peek out from a safe distance. It’s adorable… But could it impede their social development? Many kids, even very young kids are outgoing and vivacious yet some are very shy especially around adults. Shyness is by no means a sign of social incapability, nor is it a black mark against your parenting and rarely is it cause for concern or a precursor to a specific social anxiety disorder. Nonetheless, some parents may worry that their kids’ inherent shyness may be an impediment to making friends or cause them to miss out on the social development that can be extremely important in children. If this is a cause of anxiety for you, here are some strategies to help you to bring your shy child out of his or her shell so that the whole world can fall in love with them just like you have…

Don’t force them into social situations

A “deep end experience” is rarely the best environment for a child to spontaneously develop social skills. Most shy kids are highly sensitive and strongly affected by their environment. Forcing them into a situation like a party where there will be a lot of sensory input from bright colors and loud noises to unfamiliar foods or (Heaven help us all) a party clown will be upsetting for them and force them to retreat further into their shell. Confidence cannot be forced, it has to grow in its own time.

Sign up to classes

Mastery builds confidence. Even shy kids are very comfortable talking to you about what they’re doing while playing with their toys and the intricacies of the relationship between Spider-Man and Barbie. This is because they are creating their own world, a world over which they have total mastery. It behoves us, then to build opportunities for them to gain some mastery over real world skills that will build confidence. Sign them up to an activity, a sports class or encourage them to learn a musical instrument- check out these easy to learn ukulele songs at easyukulelesongs.com. This will help them develop their confidence in themselves and their abilities and hopefully allow them to make some new friends, too.

Get yourself social

Not always but often, shy children come from shy and insular parents. If your kids don’t get to see how you interact with others they won’t have a healthy benchmark for how to behave in social situations. Just as you are the arbiter of general health in your home, you should also model good behavior in a socially busy environment. Keep this in mind the next time you meet up with friends. Take your kids with you or invite friends over to your place. They might be alarmed by the presence of an unfamiliar adult at first but it won’t take long for their curiosity to be piqued and they might just learn that social situations aren’t so scary after all.

Happy And Healthy: Focus On Your Pregnancy

Whether you’re expecting your first baby, or you’re onto your second, third, or even more, congratulations; you’re in for a magical and exciting time ahead. There are some many parts of the nine months you’ll have to look forward to, and there’s no doubt that you can enjoy the majority of this special time. However, if you’re into reading up on things (and you’re reading this blog, so you probably are); you’re always going to come across the various risks and problems that may arise during pregnancy and birth.

While you shouldn’t sit and worry about everything that may or (probably won’t) happen, especially as stress could be harmful to your child; it is still important to bear some things in mind so that you remain as happy and healthy as possible. If you’re feeling good and doing all you can to provide a safe environment for your baby while you’re carrying them; there’s no reason you won’t have a straightforward pregnancy and healthy little one. The following is some advice and things to consider regarding your pregnancy so that you’ll look back on this time with a big smile, and can tell your little one all about it in the future.

Try To Stay Calm

This can be challenging, especially if you’ve been reading up on certain conditions and risk factors; however, try to reduce your stress levels and stay as calm as possible throughout your pregnancy. It’s vital that you do all you can to relax and unwind so that your baby doesn’t feel the strain of your life. The best way to handle stress and strain is to make changes in your routine and begin enjoying a calmer lifestyle. Exercise during pregnancy is always recommended as it will keep your circulation working efficiently and pumping everything that your baby needs to them. Therefore, it might be worth considering yoga as a way to exercise and clear your mind of your deadlines, responsibilities, and worries.

Talk to your female gynae or those who support you and have had babies of their own recently, and try to limit your time with those full of terrible pregnancy stories, or those whose company you just don’t enjoy. Create a pleasant and stress-free bubble for yourself and learn to switch off more. Keep it simple and eat well, keep moving, and listen to what your body is saying.

Do What You Can To Stay Informed

There is no use in reading something and worrying that it’s going to happen to your or your baby during pregnancy. However, it’s crucial to educate yourself on a variety of risk factors, especially when they are preventable. You can carry this knowledge in the back of your mind throughout your pregnancy so that you’ll have some idea of what could be wrong (or right) and can inform the right people should you feel anything unusual or are unhappy with a particular situation.

Certain conditions can be caused by a medical error or negligence, so it’s crucial that you are strong enough to speak up and correct the professionals when needed. It’s worth being vigilant regarding any infections or conditions you may experience during pregnancy, labor, and birth. Arming yourself, your partner, and those around you with all the details will help to ensure that the right people hear about what’s happening to you, and there’ll be no excuse for missing any signs or symptoms regarding your health.