| Teacher Supplies home >
Teacher Supplies Info Center > Building confidence in children
Building confidence in children
Click
here to see our selection of Teaching Supplies.
 When
children are young they seem to need more external validation than
adults do. Likely because they also require more criticism, they
can easily develop a poor self image when the criticism outweighs
the praise he or she gets from the adults in his or her life.
It is our responsibility as teachers to encourage children as much
as possible as a method of building confidence in children.
· For example:
With children in the age group between eighteen months and three
or four years old, children are scolded for a gazillion different
things—they are just barely learning what is ok and what is
not ok.
o Kids need to be told what to do and what not to do, especially
in this age group. Therefore we say “no, no, no!!!”
when the child puts dirt or a small toy in his or her mouth.
By the same token, we should say something like “oh what
a good helper!” when the child helps clean the bedroom, or
sandbox, or nursery etc.
o Another example:
Try to couple a scolding with an encouragement when building confidence
in children. So if the child is making a deliberate mess in his
or her high chair, you can tell him or her not to do that.
And, likewise by the same token, by the end of the meal if the
child has responded to your instructions—give him or her a
great big smile and say something like “good job listening!”
and “good job eating!” This way the child does not leave
the table feeling bad. But having learned a new way to make mommy,
daddy or his or her guardian proud. We all know that kids love attention,
and they would much prefer positive attention than negative attention.
Believe it or not, if a child receives too much negative attention
and not enough positive attention, he or she could end up being
the sort of child who cries, fights, pouts, screams or just generally
gets him or herself into trouble because negative attention is better
than no attention at all!
This weeks top selling teacher supplies
Click here to see more teaching
products
Discuss teaching ideas, lesson plans, classroom
strategies
and more on our teacher
forum!
|
