Self Esteem Boys—
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “Self-esteem plays a central role in a child’s motivation and achievements in school, athletics, and social relationships.”
Building and improving self-esteem is a life skill that is all about self-care and that is very similar to body care.
You already know that in order to keep our bodies in good shape we must take daily actions. Bathing, grooming, eating, exercising and relaxing are all example of essential body-care actions.
Thinking about improving self-esteem from this perspective, there are two primary components to building a strong sense self esteem in kids.
- Building healthy self-esteem takes time and effort.
- Maintaining self-esteem requires daily attention because it is a never-ending (and lovely) journey we all travel.
Healthy self-esteem is a life skill we must teach and instill in our children. Just remember that everyone feels bad from time to time and that this is a normal part of having healthy self esteem.
You can help build and improve your son’s sense of self-esteem right now with these simple tips.
FACT! Self-Esteem is an ongoing journey, therefore daily action is required to build and improve one’s sense self esteem.
Thirteen Tips for Building Self Esteem in Boys
- Take time to do things you enjoy.
- Do things that make use of your own special talents and abilities.
- Give yourself rewards.
- Learn something new or improve your skills.
- Begin doing those things that you know will make you feel better about yourself.
- Do something nice for another person.
- Make it a point to treat yourself well every day.
- Smiles & Hugs
- Truly communicating & listening.
- Respecting self and others
- Praise and acceptance
- Making eye contact
(Excerpted, in part, from Building Self-esteem A Self-Help Guide)
Just imagine minutes from how great you’ll feel when you are enjoying one of these tips by sharing it with your precious son. Because self-esteem is a major key to success in all areas of life take action every day to strength you child’s sense of self-esteem.
For more about how to build self-esteem in boys, please read the my article 10 Keys to Building Self Esteem in Boys.
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i love to read those self-help books online, they can really help me alot when dealing with problems,;*
I need help, I have a grandson who plays football. He is 10 years old almost eleven. He is very thin, but he is a very good runner. Two-time winner of the MVP award three years straight. Great kid, quiet, respectful, and good looking.Recently his coach told him to gain some weight because next year is going to be difficult for such a small framed kid. I am grandma, and I am FURIOUS. Is this the proper way today to build good self-esteem in these kids. I worry because his sister is normal, he is small. His Dad is small, always has been. Please help!!!! what sgould happen?
Hello Donna,
It sounds to me as though your grandson is a spectacular kid, and you obviously love him lots!
I understand your concern and suggest that you speak about this matter with his parents, or maybe with a counselor at his school. There is a lot of pressure on athletes and it can be a fine line between something bolstering a child’s self-esteem if the advice works or lowering it if they don’t succeed and “measure up.” So please seek out professional advice in regards to this matter.
Oh… and thank you for loving your grandson so deeply. That makes all the difference in the world to a child!
Kindly,
Jill
I have a 15 year old brother and he’s a really smart kid. The thing about him is the typical going to school of his choice. This school year he didn’t have that chance. He’s going to a military school and he complains about going. Our mother, though, went to this same school and our grandmother was in the army long ago. They give him grief about not giving it a chance, but he has good grades. Now, he’s always looking down and sad. He tries to stay away from both our mother and grandmother. I need help with my little brother. He feels they are downing him and his affords.
Hello Lauren,
The very best thing YOU can do for your brother is to love and accept him and let him know it! That is a powerful action and can help him dramatically.
Of course, if you feel he needs even more help than you can offer then you might want to seek advice from a school counselor, a trusted person from a local church or community organization or from other family members. Remember that challenges make us stronger and that we are capable of dealing with much more than we give ourselves credit for being able to manage.
Be strong and keep loving your brother! Tell him to be strong too. Everything will work out!
Kindly,
Jill
Hi,
I have a 16 year old boy and I don’t know what I have done wrong. He doesn’t seem to have any self esteem. What steps do I take to build his self esteem back up. I think it began when he was in the sixth grade. He was chubby during 5-8th grade and would get made fun of because of his weight. Help!
Patty
Hello Patty,
There is much you can do to bolster a child’s self-esteem and a simple step to take is to find something — anything! — that this child is good at doing and to build on it. Take action each and every day and over the course of a short period of time you will see major improvements him. (And YES, every person has skills and talents and small actions do make a big difference, remember this!)
Also, if you feel that professional help is needed please seek it at your school, church, community organization or local hospital.
Most kindly,
Jill
Hi Jill,
Your article is very helpful. I am a school counselor and am beginning a boys group for 5th graders. Do you have any suggestions for curriculum resources I might use for this group? I really like using Julia Taylor’s books Girls in Real Life Situations, but they would probably be a bit too girlie for boys. Any thoughts?
Thanks so much in advance,
Carol
Hi Carol,
I am glad that you found the article helpful! Off hand, I do not have any suggestions for curriculum resources. I’m sorry I can not be of more help, but please know that I wish you all the very best with your boys group.
Ever so kindly,
Jill