Most Effective Ways to Help Kids Who Are Too Hard on Themselves
As a parent, you want your children to feel happy and confident about themselves. You also want them to have a healthy self-esteem. But at some point, your children may say things about themselves that will cause you some concern. Negative statements about their physical appearance, academic performance, athletic ability, peer interactions, or overall existence may be unexpected and unsettling as a parent.
Try, Try Again: Helping Your Eight Year Old Develop Grit
Grit involves sticking with something until you succeed. It’s another word for perseverance and resilience, and it gives us the strength to try, try, try again. Grit supports a “growth mindset” – a belief that our intelligence and skills can grow with effort. Kids with a growth mindset thrive on challenges and view failure as part of the learning process. For an eight-year-old, grit might look like sticking with a task at school, even when it seems difficult; identifying skills they want to develop and practicing them; and continuing when they encounter setbacks.
Empathy in Action: How to Help Your Five Year Old Treat Others With Compassion
Compassion means we care about others, treat them with kindness, and feel a strong desire to help people in need. Compassion is empathy in action. For a five-year-old, compassion might look like giving a hug, making a card, or saying something kind to help a friend or family member who is feeling sad or upset. Noticing someone else’s distress and wanting to respond is the foundation of compassion.
