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Building Confidence From the Ground Up
Confidence and self-esteem aren’ t traits that suddenly appear in the teenage years— they’ re built from the earliest days of childhood. Jennifer Osterman, director of Little House Learning Center in Mars, PA, believes that teachers, parents, and caregivers all play a part in helping children develop the courage to try, fail, and try again.
“ We have both an opportunity and an obligation to foster these key attributes in our kiddos from the very beginning,” she says.
Although there are several components to fostering confidence and resiliency at an early age, below are Jennifer top five tips for creating a solid foundation:
Start With Responsibility
“ Putting responsibility on their shoulders keeps their feet on the ground,”- Osterman.
Giving children age-appropriate roles early— like cleaning up after themselves or opening their own snack— instills pride and a sense of accomplishment( even if it takes a little longer!) Contributing at home or school, whether as a class helper or dinner table cleaner, builds confidence in their capabilities.
Having a chance to contribute to their community, whether that be at home or in their home away from home, offers small building blocks of success and confidence in their capabilities.
Create a Sense of Belonging
A child’ s sense of belonging starts with family and grows as they find their place in the wider community.
“ All children need to feel safe and cared for before deep and extensive learning can truly begin,” says Osterman.“ At LHLC, their home away from home, we do that by meeting children’ s basic needs, while providing a framework of routine and appropriate boundaries.”
Family routines like dinners, game night or neighborhood walks familiarity and connection. Additionally, building your own family traditions regarding birthdays or holidays creates a child’ s sense of self and belonging within their family unit.
Displaying and discussing family photos in class, inviting family participation, and celebrating holidays with the classrooms helps children connect the their home with the classroom community.“ As children grow, so does their sense of community,” says Osterman.“ At Little House we are fortunate to be a part of that community and help foster that sense of belonging for our children.”
Safety and Security
Confidence can only flourish when children feel safe, cared for, and supported. A nurturing environment— at home and in school— creates the base from which learning and risk-taking can happen.“ Children need the strong foundation of responsive and consistent caregivers. Feeling physically and emotionally secure enables exploration and growth in all areas of development,”- Osterman.
Provide Encouragement
Children learn by example. Children learn by example. When adults model patience and empathy, children learn persistence through adversity.
“ Continually praising and recognizing effort rather than perfection teaches children what we value,” Osterman says.“ It also helps them face challenges and build confidence through achievement.”
When you cut it for them, tie it for them, get the toy for them, they simply learn that you can do all things better than they can. Our job as teachers, parents, caregivers, coaches is to offer the‘ you can do it’ mentality when approached with a problem.
Let Them Fail
Osterman emphasizes encouraging effort, not perfection.“ Saying‘ I can’ t do it yet’ is such a more powerful mindset,” she says.“ Growth comes through facing challenging experiences.” Try, try again and try again. When children are offered opportunities to explore, attempt, mess up and then give it another go, they learn that persistence pays off.
Confidence isn’ t taught in a single moment, it’ s nurtured daily through connection, responsibility, and love, supported by families, educators, and caregivers who help children grow with confidence and resilience.
To learn more about Little House Learning Center and their daycare, preschool, and summer camp options, visit littlehouselearningcenter. com.
For more information on Little House Learning Center, go to littlehouselearningcenter. com online, or call Jennifer Osterman at 724.776.5583. We hope you choose to join our LH Family!
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