Strategies to Build Self-Confidence In the Classroom and at Home

The example you provide for your kids or students makes the greatest impact on their self-confidence. However, there are activities, exercises, and practices that parents and teachers can do to help increase children’s confidence and self-esteem. Children with self-confidence believe in their competence and abilities, and confident children become confident adults who can overcome fears and clear obstacles in the way of their goals. Confidence wards off low self-esteem and can improve academic performance.

Self-Esteem Activities for K-2 Students

Find a variety of lesson ideas here to teach young students to recognize positive traits in themselves and others.

Self-Esteem Quilt and Other Activities

Teach children to distinguish between low self-esteem and high self-esteem by having them draw depictions of each and put together a self-esteem quilt.

Self-Esteem Activities

Try these games to show kids how they can see the good in themselves and in their friends.

Listing Accomplishments Activity

This activity teaches students to keep track of their achievements over time so they can develop a positive perception of their abilities.

Class Pride Activity

Students can combine their talents to create a demonstration of the ways in which they’re all unique.

Ten Activites to Improve Students’ Self-Concepts

Help kids to maintain their individuality and have pride in themselves with these ideas.

Six Activities to Help Your Child Develop Self-Confidence

This article lists activities parents can do at home with their kids to build self-assurance, practice problem-solving, and teach responsibility.

Four Small Ways to Build Self-Confidence in Kids

Parents can grow their children’s confidence in many ways, including playing with them, giving them small jobs around the house, making time to listen, and providing lots of encouragement.

Ten Tips on How to Build Self-Confidence in Kids

Find things that parents and other guardians can do to raise children who are resilient in the face of failure and have a positive self-image.

Children’s Self-Esteem Already Established by Age 5, Study Finds

This article presents the findings of a research study that suggests that a person’s predominant self-esteem level is set before the age of 5.

Your Child’s Self-Esteem Starts With You

Learn about parents’ roles in instilling self-esteem by example and through how they react to their children’s emotions in this article.

Instilling Self-Confidence in Children

Read this article to learn about helping kids to view failures as opportunities to learn.

Helping Children Develop a Positive Sense of Self

In this article, the author explains the importance of using failure as a catalyst for building self-confidence, as well as a parent’s vital role in providing validation.

How to Help Children and Teens Develop a Healthy Self-Image

Characteristics that distinguish children with high self-esteem from children with low self-esteem are identified in this article.

Free Self-Esteem Activities to Powerfully Fuel Your Baby, Toddler, and Older Child for Life

This article lists practices for parents of babies that nurture self-esteem, such as increased eye contact with your baby, quickly comforting them, and incorporating more physical contact.

Six Ways to Improve Your Child’s Self-Confidence With Extracurricular Activities

Learn about guiding a child to enjoy extracurricular activities they’re good at as a way of nurturing self-esteem.

Self-Confidence: Does Your Child Have Not Enough or Too Much?

Follow these four steps to give your child a healthy amount of self-assurance.

Self-Esteem and Body Image Lesson

Help children to think about their own self-worth and how they can feel better about themselves with this lesson plan.

Helping Your Child Develop a Healthy Sense of Self-Esteem

Learn more about the traits children need to have a healthy self-image in this article.

11 Ways to Help Your Kid Build Self-Confidence

In this article, the author explains the nuances of praising children correctly and promotes parenting styles that give kids freedom to make choices and take risks.

How Different Parenting Styles Affect Children

Read about the effects that authoritarian, permissive, and uninvolved parents have on children and how authoritative parenting can build children’s self-confidence.

The Influence of Parenting Styles

This study found that children of parents practicing authoritative parenting had higher levels of self-esteem relative to those of parents who were authoritarian, permissive, or uninvolved.

Authoritarian Parenting: What Happens to the Kids?

Find out more about the difference between authoritarian parenting and authoritative parenting and the way these styles impact children’s self-confidence and behavior.

Prototypical Depictions of Parenting Styles

Characteristics of children raised with different parenting styles are listed in this article, in which the author also explains why authoritative parenting works best.

15 Positive Strategies for Dealing With Conflicts, Arguments, and Backtalk

This article offers 15 tips parents can start using right away to gain control over conflict resolution with their kids.

Conflict Management for Parents

Learn ways that parents and teachers can help children develop conflict-resolution skills.

Coaching Children in Handling Everyday Conflicts

Useful for teachers in the classroom, this resource shows instructors how to use conflicts among students as teachable moments.

Five Steps to Help Kids Resolve Conflicts

This article walks through five steps parents can teach their children to respond to conflicts, from calming down first to following up after a solution has been found.

Teaching Your Kids How to Resolve Conflict Without Fighting

Learn what children need to know about conflict and mending relationships.