Many children develop feelings that they are “not good at anything.” Their difficulties can impair their self-esteem and make school a stressful environment for them. On the other hand, Extracurricular activities are a fantastic way for students to focus on their talents and interests.

Consider occasions in your life when your confidence was put to the test. Perhaps you were going for a job interview, inviting someone to dinner, or traveling through a foreign country. All of these situations necessitate a strong belief in one’s abilities and strengths.

Our goal at Power Speakers is to empower kids and instill the confidence they need to excel in a globalized world. We can’t, however, do it on our own. According to research, parent participation is critical in helping children develop the skills they need to succeed.

As a parent, you can help your child develop self-esteem by encouraging them to try new things and learn from their mistakes. Your job is to provide guidance, not to interfere. That is to say, if your child is having difficulty with a problem, you should not provide a fix. Instead, pose thought-provoking questions or encourage a variety of perspectives.

Challenge your child by trying one of these at-home activities for confidence-building for students to boost your child’s confidence.

Try These 5 Confidence-Building Activities for Students at Home

1. Getting Ready for a Trip 

Core Skill: Self-Sufficiency

Encourage your child to experience independence to instill confidence in them. Ask your child to pack their own suitcase before your next family vacation. Check the suitcase once they’ve finished packing and advise them to consider any items they may have forgotten. For example, ask, “Do you have everything you’ll need to complete the hike?” instead of “You forgot to pack your hiking boots.”

2. Make slime!

Core Skill: Helping Others

By displaying newly taught skills when engaging with others, children can gain self-assurance and confidence. For example, allow your kid to impress their friends while having fun by teaching them how to make “slime” (a gooey substance that can be stretched or molded). Begin by offering your child a “slime” recipe and allowing them to follow the procedures without your assistance. Once your child has made their slime, have them explain how they made it to you. Then invite their friends! Before everyone tries it for themselves, have your child demonstrate how to make slime.

3. Build a Boat

Core Skill: Problem-Solving

One of the most effective ways to boost self-esteem is to solve problems. Give your child an open-ended problem to solve and let them brainstorm answers. Giving your child some objects from the recycling bin—milk jugs, cans, cardboard, glass jars—and challenging them to make a boat is a fun activity. Only tape, glue, and string are needed. Allow them to try out different ways to assemble their boat. Then, in a lake or pond, put their design to the test. 

4. Create a recipe

Core Skill: Learn from Mistakes

Help your child see mistakes as opportunities to learn rather than failures. Encourage your kid to make mistakes by asking them to come up with their own pancake recipe. Make a list of the ingredients and the quantities of each item for them to write down. Keep an eye on the procedure to make sure nothing harmful is consumed, but don’t become involved. Allow your child to experiment even if your child adds something unusual to the recipe. Ask yourself, “What could you have done differently?” after making a test batch of pancakes. Then, allow your child to make changes to the recipe and try it again.

5. A task with a goal

Core Skill: Environmental stewardship

Taking on a consistent responsibility might be a tremendous undertaking. Allow your child to choose a specific chore to boost their confidence in their capacity to care for their environment. For example, they could be in charge of sweeping the floor, watering the plants, or walking the dog. Compliment them on their positive, consistent behavior by saying things like, “The plants look great and healthy because you’ve been watering them regularly” or “Thank you for walking the dog every day. I’m sure he likes it!”

6. Proceed with Confidence

Your child will feel empowered to take on challenges in school and life if they believe in their abilities to overcome mistakes and complete things independently. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution for boosting a child’s self-esteem, these activities will get you started. First, look for opportunities to test your child, and then let them explore solutions on their own to help them trust their skills.