Self esteem begins with building trust. You can build trust with infants by meeting their needs in a timely fashion. When you respond to a child’s cry, you are showing them that they are worthy of care and love. When you meet their needs consistently the infant trusts that they are consistently worthy therefore building self-esteem.
Toddler/Get Set (18-36 months)
Now that your infant has trust it is important to continue building trust into the Toddler phase. Self-esteem comes from the picture the child has of himself as someone who can do things. Toddlers believe they can accomplish certain tasks and supporting their independence builds confidence that they can succeed. Offer your child activities that lead to success. Toddlers are very successful at self-care activities such as getting dressed, cleaning up after self and helping around the house but they also enjoy new activities. When planning your day, find ways for your Toddler’s involvement to be important.
Preschool (36 months – 5 years)
A preschooler’s self-esteem is all about supported choices. Unlike the Toddler phase when choices are made from selected options, a preschool child’s actions are the choice. Preschool children are attracted to specific activities such as blocks or art. Goddard teachers will support that child’s choice to stay in that center every day and take the learning skills to the child. By doing so, the teacher has supported the child’s choice. The child interprets this as “If my choice was supported, I am good because my choice was good.” Consistent support will lead to the child’s trust in his own decision making, therefore building self-esteem.
Pre-K and Kindergarten children build self-esteem through skill mastery. You may see your Pre-K child go back to old familiar activities or repeat activities. This process of experiencing past successes builds confidence. Ask your child open-ended questions to find out what they are thinking and know about their own activity. After your child displays their knowledge inquire with “what if?” questions to draw out the next level of curiosity. Social skill success begins to play an important role in self-esteem. Offer opportunities for new social opportunities in anticipation of the next step to Kindergarten or First grade.
Tags: Child care, Infants, Pre-Kindergarten, Preschool, Self-esteem, Toddlers
