Self-esteem is defined as the value we make of ourselves , but it goes much further; It also encompasses the way we treat, admire and love each other. It encompasses perceptions, beliefs, thoughts, behaviors, and attitudes.
Self-esteem is always important, although for children, a healthy and strong self-esteem is essential that allows them to connect in a healthy way with others and position themselves in the world as they wish. It allows them to find their own path and feel worthy of the love of others and of their own love.
How to help our children build good self-esteem? Play can be a good resource, since through it, children enjoy without realizing that they are also learning and building .
We talked about seven games to promote self-esteem in the smallest, simple and very practical, which will also allow them to promote other skills such as creativity, in some cases.
Treasure box
The objective of this game, which is rather thoughtful, is for children to feel unique and special . It is recommended from the age of five.
The person leading the game must tell the children that they are going to hide a treasure in a box.
Children should not see what the person is saving. What you will put in the box is a mirror ; when the children open it, it will tell them that they have just discovered the most valuable treasure there is. Themselves!
The hot chair
This game to work on self-esteem is done in a group, and consists of the following: a child sits in a chair, in the center, and the rest of the classmates (or family members, depending on where the game is played) , they are located a little away from him, around.
They start walking towards him, and when the person who runs the game says “stop!”, Everyone should stop and say something good about that person , something they like, that he is good at …
When all the children reach the child in the center, the person is changed. It is a game that allows the little ones to receive a large amount of positive stimuli , and that can help them to create a more positive image of themselves.
The game can be made from the age of five or six.
Self portrait
A creative game to work on self-esteem is the self-portrait. It consists of asking the child to draw himself and to highlight in the drawing his positive qualities, those things that he likes about himself; they may be things about your physical appearance, but we will try to encourage you to also talk about things about your way of being.
You can also add the things you like to do as a way to boost your self-knowledge. We can also reflect with him on those things that he would like to change or improve.
Through drawing we will try to help you build a positive and healthy image of yourself. It is recommended to use from six or seven years of the child.
Positive glasses
In this game, recommended from the age of five, the task consists of asking the child to put on some very special imaginary glasses. Through these glasses you can only see the positive things of what happens to you.
In addition, we can ask you, while wearing your imaginary glasses, to write down qualities of yourself or your friends. It is about trying to make him recognize positive things in himself, and also to be able to recognize them in others.
We can also encourage you to create the glasses and put them on for real, for example with cardboard, and decorate them to your liking. A complementary task in the game is to give him the option that he can also use imaginary glasses to see the negative aspects.
Thus, we can also ask you which glasses you prefer to wear, so that you can differentiate the attitude you want to choose when facing certain situations. This game is useful to work on self-esteem but also on other values such as optimism and positivism.
The fortune teller
Another game to improve self-esteem in children is the fortune teller, which is done in a group. It consists of the following: the children should sit in a circle. Each player must write on a piece of paper three characteristics of the person on their right.
At the end, all the folded papers will be put into a bag and then, at random, they will be read one by one aloud. Between all of them, the objective will be to guess who is being talked about. It is an apparently simple game, but very useful to empower children and make them feel unique and special people.
In addition, they can do very well to discover positive values of themselves that others appreciate in them, and that perhaps they did not know. This game can be done from the age of five or six.
The business card
An ideal game for children from the age of five, which can also awaken their most creative side . It is called “the business card”, and it consists of the following: cut a cardboard with the child, into a rectangle, approximately 10×6 cm (which is the size of the older business cards).
We help you make a personalized card, either by hand or with the computer. We will tell you that this card will be to introduce yourself to your friends and family . In it they must include some of their qualities or abilities; for example, “MarÃa, a cartoonist, the best taking care of the house plants, nice and funny”.
With these cards, children begin to feel older and important, and also, through their personal touch on the card, they will be able to reinforce those qualities that they recognize in themselves .
Fingerprints
Finally, this game that we leave you also has an artistic point, and perhaps you already know it. It is called “Fingerprints”, and it is ideal to do from an early age, around four or five years.
You will only need a sheet of paper, or cardboard , and a little ink for stamps. We will ask the child to place their hand in the stamp ink, and then to put it on the white sheet.
The hands will be marked on the paper. Later, we can do the same ourselves, and explain to our son that just as each one’s footprints are different , so are each one of us.
And that alone for that we are already special and unique. More than a game, it is a simple activity that can make your children feel valued individually, and that can also be useful to work on jealousy between siblings.
Photos | Cover (freepik), Image 1 (pixabay), Image 2 (pexels), Image 3 (pexels), Image 4 (pexels), Image 5 (pexels), Image 6 (pexels)
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