Children can get down on themselves about something they are actually good at. They feel negative when they should feel positive. Why?
It may be because they think others are better than them at an activity/subject. Perhaps they haven’t done so well recently in that particular thing or someone has told them that they aren’t that good at it or they may be comparing themselves to other people. We all have different abilities, strengths and weaknesses so, if they are comparing themselves to other children, they may feel negative about their own abilities. We need to help a child be positive about what they can do, not what they can’t do.
How To Help A Child Be Positive
Whatever the reason children need to acknowledge their own ability and achievements and be proud of their capabilities. Parents need to help their children look for positive evidence of the things they are good at.
What type of evidence supports the fact that your child is good at a particular subject, sport or activity?
- Is it an award for that activity, great test marks or recognition from a teacher?
- Do they have any tangible evidence to show that they are great at something?
- What is the evidence? Write it down.
By writing down a list of the evidence, children should be able to see that nothing supports the statement ‘I am not very good at…’ Instead, they should be able to see clearly that they are good at a particular activity and have positive evidence of that. This list should be displayed on the child’s bedroom wall for whenever they have a wobble and the self-doubt creeps in. They can read the list and remind themselves that they are good at it! This is just one of the things you can do to get children feeling more positive about their abilities. It’s effective and simple.
How do you help your child see that they are good at things?
Children always need to remember what they are good at and their strengths. There will be a time when they need to do this when choosing subjects to study later in life.
Why not use the ‘WOW’ Board so your child can record the things they are excelling at and the things that are going well?
