Children who like themselves and believe others like them, have a sense of worth and healthy self esteem. A child’s self‐esteem has a big influence on his educational success, behaviour, and overall development. Developing a child’s self‐esteem is one of the most important things a parent can do.

Help your child develop self-esteem:

• Accept and love your child. You are the mirror in which your child sees who he is. You can provide the greatest gift to your child, a solid belief in his abilities and your unconditional love.
• Practice good communication. Praise what your child is doing well. Take time to listen. When your child comes home with a problem, don’t rush to solve it for him/her.  Listen to your child. Acknowledge their feelings.  Let your child find some solutions on his/her own.
  Be supportive.
• Discipline the behaviour, not the child. Too often a child is labeled “bad” because parents don’t like a certain behaviour. Comment on the behaviour you don’t like but let your child know that he is okay.