How to boost your child's moral

When a child feels valued, there’s a good chance that he’s going to want to be the best version of himself. This is precisely why you should help your child feel encouraged, capable and confident says Richa Shukla, content expert, Sesame Workshop, India

- Richa Shukla

Rahul desperately tried to get the ball through the hoop. He kept missing and finally cried out in frustration, his face damp with sweat and tears. He threw away the ball and looked around despondently. His mother ran towards him and embraced him. She told him to keep trying because eventually, he would be able to sink the ball through the hoop. She reminded him of the days when he was unable to write his name. Rahul recalled that even though it was tiring, he was persistent in his efforts and he was eventually able to write his name.

Such encouragement and positivity are essential building blocks for a child’s confidence. Children’s perceptions of themselves and the world are formulated at a young age. How a child thinks, what they see, what they hear, and how they respond to their surroundings, are all components of what ultimately constitutes their self-image. If a child begins to imbibe feelings of anxiousness, stress, discontentment and fear, they tend to become jittery, hesitent, shy and unsure of themselves. A growing body of research shows that more and more children, in their early years, are in the grips of toxic stress and anxiety. Adverse childhood experiences lead to an increase in negative health outcomes that can be carried into adulthood.

There could be multiple factors that could lead to the child being stressed and anxious, whether it’s from facing adversity or finding any task difficult to complete. Children tend to develop multiple stressors when they are unable to comprehend or complete their school and tuition work. They stumble through the work and get scared at times as they are not able to perform and excel at something that their peers are finding easy. This makes them lose their confidence.