Activities to develop children’s self-esteem
Children’s self-esteem is a fundamental aspect of a pupil’s education, from the earliest school years onwards. Self-esteem has been shown to influence a child’s learning and mental health, and a child with self-esteem is a potentially healthy adult.
What is self-esteem?
Self-esteem refers to the positive evaluation, perception or judgement that a person makes of him or herself, based on the thoughts that he or she develops about him/herself.
Self-esteem allows us to love and accept ourselves as we are, for ourselves. Self-esteem directly affects children’s learning because it enables them to have the confidence to learn. It is fundamental for making mistakes and provides the strength and motivation necessary to achieve the goals we set for ourselves. With strong self-esteem, children are able to learn more and better.
Self-esteem is not a fixed concept, it can change over time as our life situation changes. It is very important to observe ourselves and value our abilities and qualities in order to develop a healthy self-esteem, a process that is learned from childhood.
Why is it important to promote children’s self-esteem?
Self-esteem is the basis of psychological health. A child with self-esteem will perceive himself on the basis of positive values. Self-esteem is a pillar for the affective and motivational development of children.
On the contrary, low self-esteem can lead to psychological problems that affect our daily lives.
How can we work on children’s self-esteem?
- Spend time with them and listen to them. It is important to have time for them, leave the mobile phone, listen to their words, their feelings and have quality conversations with our children and pupils.
- Correct with affection. Correct their mistakes, emphasising the need to get it right next time. Self-esteem helps to accept mistakes.
- Encourage their autonomy with responsibilities. Select activities that he can do and that require discipline. It will feel good to do them and build confidence. Activities at home and at school can be a great learning experience.
- Don’t compare him to someone else. Everyone is different and everyone is capable.
- Don’t use words that brand or label him. Negative or offensive words produce a sense of discomfort and make him feel unappreciated by his parents.
- Don’t label them with concepts such as smart or clever. To recognise their good work it is better to use words such as: good job, homework well done, etc.
- Set clear limits and be consistent with them. You must be firm in maintaining the limits you have decided to set.
10 activities to work on children’s self-esteem
With games, we can work on children’s self-esteem. Children express themselves through these types of games and are able to share experiences with their peers. These are 10 activities that can be done both at home and at school to develop children’s self-esteem.
Self-portrait. Children are asked to draw themselves as they are and tell how they see themselves. They talk about what they like about themselves, comment on their qualities and also what they don’t like. The game allows them to build up their self-image.
Presentation in front of my classmates and presentation of a friend. The children will write down information about their life and the characteristics they want to present to their classmates. They will introduce themselves in pairs and then introduce their partner to the whole group. With this activity, they evaluate themselves and recognise the characteristics of their peers.
The hot seat, a game for group work. One of the children sits on a chair and the other children walk in front of him or her and tell him or her what they like about him or her. After the line of children is finished, another child sits down to receive their positive phrases.
Positive glasses. The children will write the qualities of their friends and family while wearing the positive glasses.
Imaginary glasses. This is a variation of the previous game. The imaginary glasses allow them to see the positive and negative aspects of a specific situation. The important thing is that they learn that there are different perspectives.
The treasure box. This is a very special game, because it allows children to recognise themselves as unique and special. To play, a mirror is placed in a box and each child is asked to see the treasure inside the box. The child must not tell the others what he or she saw. When all the children have opened the box and seen its contents, they are asked about the treasure. The treasure is them! Then we invite them to talk about the characteristics of the treasure they have seen in the box.
Game of professions. This consists of asking the children to choose two professions. Tell them that it must be an activity that they like and think they could do. Each child will act out their task in front of the group and will be applauded by the others.
The envelope game. Each child will write three faults or characteristics they do not like about their behaviour inside an envelope. Then, each classmate will write on the outside of the envelope three qualities that he/she appreciates in his or her friend. The envelope is then passed around the group and returned to the starting player. Each child discovers that he or she has qualities and faults. Flaws are not shared, they are part of the individual’s work.
List the successes in your life. Remembering achievements is a good way to work on self-esteem. Each child will make a list of his or her achievements on a piece of paper and can explain them.
I am afraid of… We adults know the power of fear and its paralysing effect. The activity consists of the child being able to write about those things that make him/her afraid and express how he or she feels.
At Laude San Pedro International College we continuously develop activities aimed at the emotional education of our students. From the earliest years, they learn to manage their own emotions, accept themselves and empathise with others.
