La Petite Ecole, bilingual preschool, publishes a weekly newsletter on a specific aspect of the development of the child, and his/her general well-being. La Petite Ecole also organises monthly Parents’ Coffee Talks (for parents from LPE) on various topics and trains the entire pedagogical team all year long. Better understanding the child and his/her neurological, physical and emotional development is a prerequisite to effectively helping him/her grow into a happy individual.
This week, a Word On Self-Confidence
“Self-confidence is not innate. It is built by the bonds that are woven with others and by experiences. It is built very early in the child’s development and is correlated to the emotional ties built by the child with his parents.
It is an asset to grow well.
To have self-confidence is also to understand the idea that “I am unique, I have value” and that “I am capable” (I have skills, I can do it).
To work on building self-confidence in your child, let’s start by setting a good example. Parents and educators work hard to increase self-esteem in children, but the child is more likely to boost self-confidence when he sees a good example.
For our children, let’s continue to trust and esteem ourselves!
And of course, having confidence is also about going out of our comfort zone, learning, making mistakes and persevering.”
From Maria Raphel Lamrani Alaoui
School Principal in Singapore and Pedagogical Director of the group La Petite Ecole
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**Fun activity to do with your child**
Draw the outline of a flower. This is your flower of self-esteem.
Instructions: Each person has his/her own flower and this one is yours. We will write on each of the petals one of your qualities, or something you are proud of.
For young children, the concept of quality may be too abstract. This exercise will however help the child identify things that he/she “is able to do and is successful at”: concrete moves and actions. For example: “I notice that you are persevering when you ride a bicycle, because even when you fall, you get up again and keep on trying”.
Self-esteem encompasses all the judgements the child has about him/herself in the different spheres of his/her life. The metaphor of the flower makes it possible for the child to understand that he/she is responsible for nourishing his/her own self-esteem.
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Our recommended read to go further (FR):
Développer l’Estime de Soi et l’Intelligence Émotionnelle de Votre Enfant,
Geneviève Pelletier, psychologue clinicienne (2017)
