Encouragement is such a powerful tool that can have a dramatic effect on the lives of youth. I have used encouragement to fuel my son’s character to have the courage and confidence to stand up for himself when faced with difficult situations. We stand in front of the mirror daily and I say, “Who is that?” He says, “Romeo!” and I respond with, “That is Romeo and you are smart, creative, and brave!” This form of positive self-talk is my way of giving Romeo the encouragement that has worked for him to develop confidence. Here are a few tips that you can do to engage your child and increase their confidence.
Read to your child every single night!
I remember being told this and I thought the person was crazy! I thought it would be impossible to read every single night, but it can be done with books, YouTube, iPhone, etc.! Reading to my son, Romeo has completely transformed the way he pronounces words and his conversation skills. Romeo can now read me books and I strongly believe that this nightly routine played a huge part in his scholastic achievement in reading and writing.
Encourage Creativity!
When you see your child passionate about something, fuel that passion! Romeo wanted to paint so I started buying canvases and painting with him on Friday nights. Romeo likes building things, so I bought him a bunch of Legos and enrolled him in a mini engineer program. Romeo likes music, so I bought him a guitar and let him watch music lessons on YouTube. All of these extracurriculars fuel your child’s mind and challenge them on a different level so that they become innovators and think outside of the box when problem solving.
Most importantly, establish a network of love!
Many children living with single mothers have other important adults in their lives, too. Romeo has grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, teachers, family friends, and others who care about him and they make sure that he knows it. Establish a network of friends and relatives and neighbors who care about your child. The most amazing feeling for a child is to walk outside their door and have other adults who believe in them. Adults who have cared about them for as long as they can remember.
Positive Self-Talk in the Mirror!
Encourage your children to be amazing. Guide them to look within for strength they wouldn’t otherwise have. Stand behind them and look into the mirror together. Let the child hear you say how cool, talented, smart, and brave they are out loud. You are creating confidence for them to nurture.
Use these tips as a way to compliment your child so they will in turn compliment themselves.
Use these tips as a way motivate your child so they will in turn motivate themselves.
Most of all encourage your child so they will in turn encourage themselves and embrace who they are inside and bring all of those positive things out with confidence!
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