Self-Confidence in Children

                                Self-confidence in Children


 Self-confidence Is a feeling of trust in one's abilities, qualities and judgment.


Kids who have healthy self-esteem tend to:

feel valued and accepted
feel confident that they can do what's expected
feel proud of a job well done
think good things about themselves
feel prepared for everyday challenges
Kids with low self-esteem often:

feel self-critical and are hard on themselves
feel insecure, or not as good as other kids
focus on the times they fail rather than the times they succeed
lack confidence
doubt their ability to do well at things
Why Self-Esteem Matters
When children feel good about themselves, it sets them up for success — in everything from school to friendships. Positive feelings like self-acceptance or self-confidence help kids try new challenges, cope with mistakes, and try again. Taking pride in their abilities and accomplishments helps kids do their best.

By contrast, kids with low self-esteem might feel unsure of themselves. If they think others won't accept them, they may not participate as often. They may allow themselves to be treated poorly and have a hard time standing up for themselves. Kids who don't expect to do well may avoid challenges, give up easily, or be unable to bounce back from mistakes.

Having low self-esteem can block success. It can leave kids distracted by the stress of how to deal with everyday challenges.

How Self-Esteem Develops
Contrary to what some might think, self-esteem does not come telling kids they're wonderful, special, and great (even though they are!). Giving every child a trophy doesn't help kids' self-esteem. Indeed, it's possible for kids to feel good about themselves even when they fail.

When children compete — win or lose — they see that their own hard work and practice can make a difference. Earning a prize contributes to self-esteem only when a kid knows he or she earned it.

Self-esteem is the result of experiences that help a child feel capable, effective, and accepted.

When kids learn to do things for themselves and feel proud of what they can do, they feel capable.
Children feel effective when they see that good things come from efforts like trying hard, getting close to a goal, or making progress. For example, kids who take part in a service project feel good about themselves when they see how their actions matter.
When kids feel accepted and understood by a parent or someone close, they are likely to accept themselves, too. Their good feelings about themselves multiply as parents praise good behaviors, help when needed, and give encouragement and support.
How Parents Can Nurture Self-Esteem
Self-esteem develops over time. And if it's low, it can be raised. Here are things parents can do:

Help your child learn to do things. At every age, there are new things for kids to learn. Even during babyhood, learning to hold a cup or taking first steps sparks a sense of mastery and delight. As your child grows, things like learning to dress, read, or ride a bike provide perfect opportunities for self-esteem to take root.
When teaching kids how to do things, show and help them at first. Then let them do what they can, even if they make mistakes. Be sure your child has lots of opportunities to learn, try, and feel proud. Don't make new challenges too easy — or too hard.
Praise your child, but do it wisely. Of course, it's good to praise kids. Your praise is a way to show that you are proud, too. But research shows that some ways of praising kids can actually backfire.

Here's how to do it right:

Avoid over-praising. Praise that doesn't feel earned doesn't ring true. For example, telling a child he played a great game when he knows he didn't feels hollow and fake. It's better to say, "I know that wasn't your best performance, but we all have off days. I'm proud of you for not giving up." Add a vote of confidence, "Tomorrow, you'll be back on your game."

Praise effort rather than fixed qualities. Avoid focusing praise on results (such as getting an A) or fixed qualities (such as being smart or athletic). This kind of praise can lead kids to avoid challenges that may threaten the good 'reputation' they get praised for most.

Instead, offer most of your praise for effort, progress, and attitude. For example: "You're working hard on that project," or, "You're getting better and better at these spelling tests," or, "I'm proud of you for practicing piano — you've really stuck with it." This kind of praise encourages kids to put effort into things, work toward goals, and try. When kids do that, they are more likely to succeed.
Be a good role model. When you put effort into everyday tasks (like raking the leaves, making a meal, cleaning up the dishes, or washing the car), you're setting a good example. Your child learns to put effort into doing homework, cleaning up toys, or making the bed.

Modeling the right attitude counts, too. When you do tasks cheerfully (or at least without grumbling or complaining), you teach your child to do the same. When you avoid rushing through chores and take pride in a job well done, you teach your child to do that, too.
Ban harsh criticism. The messages kids hear about themselves from others easily translate into how they feel about themselves. Harsh words ("You're so lazy!") are harmful, not motivating. When kids absorb negative messages about themselves, they feel bad about themselves, and act accordingly.
Focus on strengths. Pay attention to what your child does well and enjoys. Make sure your child has opportunities to develop these strengths. Nurturing strengths is better than focusing on weaknesses if you want to help kids feel good about themselves and succeed.


Culled from
KidsHealth
Nemours

Keep Inspiring

I am not where lam supposed to  be,
I am not what I want to be,
But I am not what I used to be.
I haven't learned how to arrive;
I have just learned how to keep going.


My thoughts today as my  blog
Nafi's blog
nafisustain@blogspot.com
Marks another year writing inspiring,informative and entertaining articles.
Thanks for all the Likes,Comments and Shares.

We won't stop the inspiration.
Get inspired
#Wewontstop
#Thezealison
#It'sGod'sgift
#Keeptheinspirationon

My job as an Educator makes me appreciate and value God's gift to Children "PLAY".Sometimes when I look at topics for the week I just wonder how to put it across the kids for better understanding and what better way is there than PLAY METHOD.Over and over again I see children lit up with joy when they see lndividuals who understand what play means to them.
Learning and teaching doesn't have to be all seriousness,strictness and boring.Adding spice to our classroom delivery matters alot and likewise parents loosen up and have play with your kids.

“According to Piaget, “Play consists of responses for
pure pleasure” and similarly the preschool play way
method is considered the most fun and effective
methodology along with the project method and lesson
plans.


Play is one of the main ways in which children learn. It
helps to build self worth by giving a child a sense of
his or her own abilities and to feel good about
themselves. Because it’s fun, children often become
very absorbed in what they are doing. In turn, this
helps them develop the ability to concentrate.
Providing children with a range of playthings will help
them learn in a number of ways:
Examples of exciting things kids can play with:
Sand and water play can be an early introduction to
science and maths, eg learning that water is fluid,
not solid, and that it can be measured in different
sized containers.
Playing with dough, drawing and painting pictures,
dressing up, playing with dolls can encourage
creativity, imagination and expression of feelings.
Building blocks, jigsaws and shape sorters can help
with recognising different shapes and sizes, putting
things in order and developing logic.
Playing ball games, dancing, running, climbing all
help to develop body movement, strength, flexibility
and co-ordination skills.
Games help with turn taking, sharing and mixing
with others.
Singing, playing simple music instruments help to
develop rhythm, listening and hearing.
Learning through play is a term used in education and
psychology to describe how a child can learn to make
sense of the world around them. Through play children
can develop social and cognitive skills, mature
emotionally, and gain the self-confidence required to
engage in new experiences and environments.

Tim Taylor writes: "Learning does not have to be boring, nor
does it have to be entertaining, but it does have to
mean something to the learner.



  Five Scientific Benefits of Play to Children 


 Better behavior
Taking recess away from schoolchildren as
punishment might be counterproductive. According to
a 2009 study in the journal Pediatrics, kids behave
better in the classroom when they have the chance to
blow off steam on the playground during the day.
Researchers compared teacher ratings of 8- and 9-
year-olds' behavior in schools with and without
recess periods. The kids who had more than 15
minutes a day of breaks behaved better during
academic time. Unfortunately, 30 percent of the more
than 10,000 children in the study had no recess or
less than 15 minutes of recess each day.


Playing for the team
Play teaches kids to, well, play nice. Research
published in the Early Childhood Education Journal
in 2007 revealed that both free play and adult-
guided play can help preschoolers learn awareness
of other people's feelings. Playing also teaches kids
to regulate their own emotions, a skill that serves
them well as they move through life.
"You get to try things out with no consequences,"
said Kathy Hirsch-Pasek, a child development
psychologist at Temple University, who researches
the benefits of play. "[Play] also allows you to wear
different hats, to master social rules. That's huge."


Let's move
Tree-climbing, foursquare and even a round of
dress-up get kids moving much more than television
or computer-game time. The American Heart
Association recommends that children over the age
of 2 engage in at least an hour a day of moderate,
enjoyable physical activity. There's evidence that
active children grow into active adults, thus
decreasing their risk of heart disease and other
scourges of a sedentary lifestyle. One study
published in 2005 in the American Journal of
Preventative Medicine followed Finnish citizens over
21 years and found that the most active 9- to 18-
year-olds later remained highly active later in life.


Learning boost
Reading, 'riting, 'rithmatic and … recess? A 2009
study in the Journal of School Health found that the
more physical activity tests children can pass, the
more likely they are to do well on academic tests.
That suggests unrelenting classroom time may not
be the best way to improve test scores and learning ,
said psychologist Hirsch-Pasek.
"Children learn to count when they're doing
hopscotch," Hirsch-Pasek said. "They learn about
numbers when they're playing stickball, and believe
me they know which team is ahead. They are telling
stories on the playground, and they're getting
active."


It's fun
All work and no play really does make Jack a dull
boy. Play is a natural state of childhood, Hirsch-
Pasek said, pointing out that even non-mammals do
it . University of Tennessee biopsychologist Gordon
Burghardt told The Scientist magazine in 2010 that
he's even observed turtles playing.
The joyful properties of play are evident in schools
served by the non-profit Playworks, which assigns
research "coaches" to schools to teach classic
playground games and mentor children in the art of
running their own recess. Playworks focuses on low-
income school districts, where kids are at high risk of
dropping out before high-school graduation.
"We find that kids feel safer," after Playworks helps
facilitate recess, said spokesperson Cindy Wilson.
"Kids tell us they're more likely to come to school."
Not only that, but recess extends the same freedom
to children that adults may take for granted.
"Adults get breaks," Wilson said. "Kids need breaks,
too."




Adapted from:

Wikipedia
www. livescience.com
Family lives
Kalli.com
www.greatschool.org

My thought of the Day. ..Women rock all the time.

Women's lnternational Day is beyond just marking the day . It's more than that for.Yesterday was more of pinpointing what the 21st Century Woman needs to make their dreams come true.  For me
It's all about how women can balance home and career to get great accomplishment in their careers and yet maintain a great home.
How women keep losing great dreams,opportunities and advancement due to the sacrifices they have to make as a sister, wife  and mother.
It's all about the varieties of  choices we have to feel self accomplishment in our various choosen paths.
It's all about women supporting women to  grow.
It's all about realising that some issues should not be shovelled through our throats and expect us to keep mute(especially rape and assaults in marriages etc).

I  look forward to seeing an era where girls, ladies and women would have access to nurturing their dreams and yet not affecting their statutory duties as a female gender.

Women are intelligent,caring, kind, brave,vibrant and full of lot's of power to make things go round. And that is why lots of channels needs to  be put in place to aid women in climbing the ladder of success without losing our values.
I aspire to see families encouraging and ensuring the girl-child  excelling in becoming a self confidence woman, who is sees herself as a source to make the world a better place.
The show  starts from the home....Giving the female child all the tools she needs to strive while growing up will mould her into a confident and resourceful individual.

Thought of the day. .....Stretching

Stretching Sets you apart from others.

Stretching  always requires change and that's why people who will not settle for less or average
and willing to step out of their comfort zone are always full of innovations and exciting ideas on how to bring successful changes into any situation around them.

Using the Rubber Band  Law can help attain success quickly.Willing to stretch brings new excitement into ones life and making it a lifestyle brings alive our sense of being.

Dyscalculia

          Dyscalculia

What is dyscalculia?

Dyscalculia is a brain-based condition that makes it
hard to make sense of numbers and math concepts.
Some kids with dyscalculia can’t grasp basic number
concepts. They work hard to learn and memorize basic
number facts. They may know what to do in math class
but don’t understand why they’re doing it. In other
words, they miss the logic behind it.
Other kids understand the logic behind the math but
aren’t sure how and when to apply their knowledge to
solving problems.

Dyscalculia goes by many names. Some public schools
refer to it as a “mathematics learning disability.”
Doctors sometimes call it a “mathematics disorder.”
Many kids and parents call it “math dyslexia.”
Your child’s struggle with math can be confusing,
especially if he’s doing well in other subjects. This can
lead to anxiety and low self-esteem. But parents have
the power to change that equation.
There are many tools and strategies that can help with
dyscalculia. The trick is finding the ones that work best
for your child. Dyscalculia is a lifelong condition, but
that doesn’t mean your child can’t be happy and
successful.

Number Sense and Other Difficulties
Dyscalculia can affect many different areas of math
learning and performance. Different kids have different
challenges.
The most common problem is with “number sense.”
This is an intuitive understanding of how numbers
work, and how to compare and estimate quantities on
a number line. Most researchers agree that number
sense is at the core of math learning. If kids don’t
understand the basics about how numbers work,
learning math and using it every day can be very
frustrating.
Studies show that even babies have a basic sense of
numbers.
[1] Dr. Brian Butterworth, a leading researcher
in dyscalculia, compares number sense to being color-
blind. He says some people are born with number
blindness. This makes it hard to tell the difference
between quantities.
[2]
Number blindness is one reason many kids have
trouble connecting numbers to the real world. They
can’t grasp the idea that “five cookies” has the same
number of objects as “five cakes” and “five apples.”



What are the symptoms?
Dyscalculia symptoms include:
Poor understanding of the signs +, -, ÷ and x, or may
confuse these mathematical symbols.
Difficulty with addition, subtraction, multiplication
and division or may find it difficult to understand the
words "plus," "add," "add-together."
Difficulty with times tables.
Poor mental arithmetic skills.
May have trouble even with a calculator due to
difficulties in the process of feeding in variables.
May reverse or transpose numbers for example 63 for
36, or 785 for 875.
Difficulty with conceptualizing time and judging the
passing of time.
Difficulty with everyday tasks like checking change.
Difficulty keeping score during games.
Inability to comprehend financial planning or
budgeting, sometimes even at a basic level, for
example, estimating the cost of the items in a
shopping basket or balancing a checkbook.
Inability to grasp and remember mathematical
concepts, rules, formulae, and sequences.
May have a poor sense of direction (i.e., north,
south, east, and west), potentially even with a
compass.
May have difficulty mentally estimating the
measurement of an object or distance (e.g., whether
something is 10 or 20 feet away).
Extreme cases may lead to a phobia of mathematics
and mathematical devices.



Source:Google

Back to school tips for parents .

How To Help Improve Your Child's Confidence In School

Helpful tips for parents as schools resumes .

As an adult, most things in life are not too scary.Certainly we get nervous from time to time, but it is easy to forget how the world looks to a child. Of course some children have more self-confidence than others, but for children who are insecure and also those with learning disabilities, school can appear to be a pretty scary place, regardless of the child's age.

Even routine educational activities can be a source of stress to children.

For example, the pressures of exams and even occasional pop quizzes can put a lot of pressure on children, and while they are an important part of education, it is important to help your child approach such trials with confidence. Helping your children to build their own confidence now will help them develop important coping skills that will help them throughout their lives.

Problem Areas

Try to take a note of which subjects your child likes and dislikes. Some subjects will be obvious favorites, and that is always a good sign that your child may cope well in those courses. However, the subjects that your child does not like are most likely to be the ones in which his or her confidence will need greater support.

Anytime your children seem to be avoiding certain subjects, or even faking illness on the days that they have those subjects, you should consider whether it is because of a confidence issue.

Reluctance to go to school in a child with a disability may also indicate that his or her academic needs are not being met or perhaps accommodations and specially designed instruction are not being provided appropriately.

Give Your Child Confidence

I'm sure every parent likes to shower their children with praise, but it might be helpful to be a little bit more specific.

Children expect their parents to tell them that they are beautiful, clever, wonderful etc... However, a great way to help your child grow their confidence is to tell them with specificity what they are actually good at. Most children struggle with some things and have a natural ability with others. Unfortunately, talented children often do not even realize how talented they really are. Anytime you notice that your child is good at something, let him or her know with specific, genuine praise.

Listening

Children like to be paid attention to - - just like adults do. When your child is telling you something that happened, do your best to give your full attention and actively listen. You would be surprised how good children are at telling when you're not really listening. Try to respond constructively and avoid being dismissive and making vague, general responses like "that's nice dear."

Take the Fear Out of Parent Conferences

Parents can, often sub-consciously, put a lot of pressure on their children, and when parent conferences roll around it can be a scary time.

When you come back from a parent conference, avoid the temptation to tell your children what they're doing wrong and instead focus on the positives.

Telling your children about their weaknesses isn't necessarily constructive. Instead, consider discussion with their teachers how you could help them improve upon those weaknesses. Create a plan and act on it.

Outside of School

Extra-curricular activities are rarely a bad thing, so give your child every encouragement (without pressuring them) to try new things. Clubs and groups are a great opportunity for your children to practice socializing with new friends and away from the pressures of school this can really help with insecurities.

Being Open

This is a simple tip, but one to live by. Always be nurturing and loving, but also speak to your child about their education. Let them know that if they have any problems at school they can talk to you. It seems obvious, but to a child it might not be, so just knowing that you're there can often make scary things a little less scary.

Culled from : verywell.com