3 Simple Ways to Boost Your Child's Confidence

If there is one thing in life I want to teach my children, it is to grow up confident! As a child, and even as an adult, I have always struggled with my own confidence which makes it something I work to develop in my kids even stronger. Today I am sharing a few simple ways you can boost your child’s confidence.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Stride Rite. All opinions are 100% mine.

It might sound intimidating at first… raising confident kids. Right? I mean, I already told you that I struggle with my own confidence, so who am I to give you tips for raising your own? It’s funny how some skills just seem to be easier to pass down, than they are to believe yourself.

This is one of those skills. From my years in the classroom, and time as a mother, I have noticed a few simple things that we can do to ensure we are raising confident kids. Recently, a trip to the playground in our new shoes, reminded me just how simple this can actually be.

Tips for Raising Confident Kids

Rule #1 Believe | Believe in your kids. I know it sounds pretty simple right, but I can’t tell you how many times I catch myself saying “Are you sure you can do that?” or “Be careful, that’s hard.”

By turning those phrases around to “I notice you are high, would you like me to move closer.” or “Wow! I knew you could do that! Can I do it with you?” I am empowering my children to believe in their abilities and leave the second guessing to me. When we were at the park, my toddler started to hang from the highest slide. It took everything in me to step back and trust that she knew what she was doing. I reminded her of the height and that sometimes our hands get slippery after playing in the heat, but I trusted her and let her show me her abilities.

Rule #2 Be Genuine | Kids can tell when we aren’t sincere. Praise is a great tool, but used too much it waters down just what kids think of their abilities. Instead of saying “good job”, why not try something like, “I like how you climbed the ladder by yourself. Last time we were here, you needed a lot more help.” or “I see you are getting stronger and more balance. You are swinging higher than before!” When we were at the park, my toddler was anxious about trying the swing by herself. I actually didn’t even know she could do it herself. However, she walked over and said “swing please” while nodding her head. I took that as my cue to help her and that she felt confident in her abilities to do it by her “self”. Sure enough, with just a tiny nudge and she was sitting strong and swinging her legs. I had to remind myself not to jump in and help but to let her swing away on her own.

Rule #3 Let them Fail | What? Let your children fail? I must be nuts right? Honestly, its one of the most important tips I ever shared when I was in the classroom. Let your children try. Let them fall. Let them fail. Then be there for them when they get up. Its such a great lesson to learn at an early age and is great for boosting confidence. Nothing feels better than failing at something, trying again and then succeeding. When my toddler and I were getting ready for the park, I walked to put on her new shoes. It’s what I always do. However, much to my surprise, she wanted to do it. “Me do it, Mommy,” she said. You know what? I let her. The first time, she put her shoes on backwards, sideways, and even jumbled up. However, once I pulled them off and showed her the fun eyes on the velcro of her Surprize shoes, she became a rockstar at her own shoes. The first thing she said when Papa came home was “Own shoes. Me do it.” She was so proud. She was confident!

Be sure to shop Surprize by Stride Rite, exclusively at Target, for Surprize for girls or Surprize for boys. The entire line was adorable and had the “surprize” eyes on the velcro. A huge plus for any child needing a confidence boost in getting dressed themselves.

In addition to boosting confidence, Surprize is guaranteed for comfort, fit and durability! They have a great rubber toe for durability and the shoes have very flexible outsoles allowing for an agile, natural step and growth. I pretty much can’t get my toddler to wear anything else now!

Join @striderite tomorrow for an awesome Twitter Party from 1-2est hosted by @moderndaymoms and co-hosted by @thesimpleparent. They will be giving away 10 Pairs of Surprize Shoes! Follow along using the hashtag, #surprizeshoeparty. You can RSVP using the form below!