Introduction

“You is kind. You is smart. You is important.” –  by Aibileen Clark, played by Viola Davis in the movie The Help. Quotes like these can leave a positive and lasting impact on a child. Expressing their importance and kindness. They are the kind of words that stick with a child’s life even into adulthood. Building confidence and self-worth in children is crucial for their mental, emotional, and psychological development. This article explores the power and importance of affirmations in building confidence and self-worth in children and provides tips for parents and guardians. 

Understanding Confidence and Self-Worth in Children

Now, what is confidence? Confidence is the ability to believe in one’s abilities and judgment. In children, confidence is crucial for their willingness to explore, try new things, and develop social skills. What is self-worth? Self-worth is the inner sense of being valued and deserving of respect, regardless of validation or outside achievements. Self-worth goes hand-in-hand with confidence because once confidence is built, self-worth will be created. The two combined will help children develop resilience, self-esteem, and a growth mindset. 

Challenges to Overcome

Building confidence and self-worth is not easy, especially when the child doesn’t believe in themselves. However, with a nudge in the right direction, they can move forward. Understanding that failure is just an obstacle and can be overcome, they must know that failure is normal, encourage learning from mistakes, and foster resilience. Self-doubt can creep in and drain confidence, especially when other people and children doubt you. To overcome this, begin by identifying negative self-talk, encouraging positive self-talk, and modelling confident behaviour. Draw inspiration from confident people.

Strategies for Building Confidence and Self-Worth

Don’t fear – these challenges can be easily solved. There are many ways and strategies parents and caregivers can implement to build confidence and self-worth in children. Like, using specific and genuine praise, clapping hands for the child’s achievements, giving them a hug or a handshake for a job well done, and any other thing that will make them happy that they have earned this achievement. Another common practice is to make affirmations a daily habit and incorporate them during breakfast, bedtime, etc. Affirmations such as “I am strong.”, “I can do it.”, “My goal is to…”, etc. Finally, create visual reminders like sticky notes and posters to reinforce the positive affirmations. Encourage self-affirmation, and teach the child to repeat affirmations for themselves, especially when they are faced with challenges and negativity.

Conclusion

Building confidence and self-worth can be done with just a few words. It is the little things that count, and that they will remember. Even as adults. You, the parent/guardian, can help the child grow into a confident, compassionate, and capable individual. Most importantly, never forget the kind words Aibileen Clark said to the little girl in the movie (and to us all): “You are kind. You is smart. You is important”.