Why Building Self-Esteem in Children Starts with Good Communication—for International Boost Self-Esteem Month
Self-esteem is a foundational component of childhood development. It shapes how children discover their inner selves and interact with the world around them. With February being International Boost Self-Esteem Month, we’re dedicating this blog post to understanding the pillars of building strong self-esteem.
Understanding the Link Between Communication and Self-Esteem
Self-esteem and communication are closely intertwined and affect each other bidirectionally: an individual’s self-esteem characterizes how they communicate with the world, and their communication with other people shapes their self-esteem. For example, if your self-esteem is low, you may be less likely to advocate for yourself and voice your opinions. However, building good communication skills to connect better with others will make you feel more valued, improving your self-esteem.
The Foundations of Good Communication
Active Listening — the main idea of active listening? Listen to understand, not just to respond. Give the person speaking your full attention and show that you’re listening with nonverbal cues like nodding occasionally, maintaining eye contact, and leaning forward. You may also include occasional verbal affirmations like “mhm” or “tell me more!” as long as you’re not interrupting. Especially for children, knowing that their stories, thoughts, and feelings are heard and valued is a powerful boost to their self-esteem. It sends a message that their experiences matter, encouraging them to continue sharing their voice.
Show Empathy — empathy is the ability to understand and share other people’s feelings. In other words, empathy is when you put yourself in another person’s shoes to understand their perspective and relate to their experiences. Showing empathy and knowing how to respond certainly takes time to develop. Try your best to put yourself into the position of the other person and respond through verbal affirmations such as, “I get where you’re coming from” or “You’re completely valid for feeling that way”.
Be Receptive to Constructive Feedback — constructive feedback is necessary for children and is a key factor in shaping how children learn to communicate. However, how constructive feedback is delivered to children has a huge impact on their self-esteem. Focusing on specific behaviors rather than the child’s character encourages corrective actions instead of embedding the mistakes into their identity. Additionally, offering solutions and highlighting strengths models healthy communication while reminding them of their progress and successes.
Celebrating International Boost Self-Esteem Month
For the rest of this year’s International Boost Self-Esteem Month, let’s commit to making a step towards improving our communication, creating an environment that fosters open conversation and strives to uplift everyone’s self-esteem. Set goals for yourself to adopt better communication strategies, and test out your better-than-ever skills with friends and family that you feel comfortable around. Step by step, taking it one conversation at a time, we can stride towards improving our self-esteem in the long run.
