Improve Your Child’s Self-Esteem and Emotional Regulation By Example

Children are always watching us and taking cues from our words and actions, so being a good example is important for helping them develop.

Through self-esteem and emotional regulation, you can help your child thrive while setting an example of how they should act. 

Self-Esteem

Sometimes it can be difficult to determine whether a child is having self-esteem issues. Kids with high self-esteem tend to feel more confident, think positively of themselves, and may be more social. Children with lower self-esteem tend to lack that same confidence, doubt themselves, and are self-critical.

Since children learn best by example, it’s crucial to model positive self-esteem if you want them to have that same behavior. Here are a few ways to do that:

• Be positive around your child. This can help them see things in a better light.
• Don’t put yourself down as it will only teach your child to do the same.
• Take care of yourself physically and emotionally. This teaches your child to value themselves and their health.
• Be assertive and stand up for yourself. This can encourage your child to speak up for themselves.
• Be proud of your accomplishments, both big and small. This will teach your child to be proud of themselves and their accomplishments too.

Emotional Regulation

Helping children with better emotional regulation is one of the most important things parents can do for them. It’s not easy, but it’s so worth it. When children feel better emotionally, they do better in school, make more friends, and are happier overall. A few ways parents can help aid their children in developing better emotional regulation are:

1. Talk about emotions: Help your child understand what they’re feeling by talking about emotions. This will help them label their feelings and understand them better.
2. Teach healthy coping skills: Children need to know how to deal with their emotions healthily. Show them how to take deep breaths, go for a walk, or write in a journal to help calm down.
3. Role model: Children learn visually. If you’re able to cope with your own emotions in a healthy way, your child will learn from that and be more likely to do the same.
4. Be patient: It takes time for children to learn how to regulate their emotions. Be patient and keep working with them on it.

How Parents Can Help

There are a multitude of ways to help your child build self-esteem:

• Give them a companion –  Snorble is an interactive friend that engages with your child and helps promote healthy habits. Children can talk and share stories with Snorble, which can make them more comfortable with sharing and talking, ultimately helping to boost their self-esteem. 
• Encourage them – Let your child know that you believe in them and that you believe they are capable of anything (within reason).
• Praise them – Be specific with your praise and praise their effort and achievement. This will help them to understand that you value their hard work. Be careful of overpraising, as it can come across as untrue.
• Listen to them – Show your child that you are interested in what they have to say and that you value their opinion. 
• Give them responsibility – Help them to feel competent by giving them age-appropriate responsibility around the house. This could be things like setting the table or feeding pets.
• Encourage them to be active – Help them to lead a healthy lifestyle by promoting physical activity and healthy eating. This will help them grow strong and healthy.

Be the Example

Regardless of your child’s age, it is always important to be a positive role model for them. We can do this by treating others with respect, being honest and responsible, and living a healthy lifestyle. When we are positive role models for children, we help them grow into happy and successful adults.