How To Use Self Esteem Games for Kids

Self-esteem is the way a child feels about himself and the way he expects others to feel about him. A child with low self-esteem may be reluctant to take on new challenges and may have trouble interacting with others. Children may also act out more frequently, believing that they are not capable of being "good." Helping your child develop a positive self-image is one of the most important tasks you face as a parent. Fortunately, there are several effective games you can play with your child to increase his sense of worth. The following games are ones that work with a large variety of age ranges.

The Beanbag Game:

1. On a large piece of posterboard, draw a 3 x 3 matrix. In each square, write or draw a picture of an aspect of your child's life. For example, you may include school, chores, relationships with siblings, activities, friends, etc.
2. Give your child a beanbag and have him toss it onto the posterboard. For the square that it lands in, he should tell you something good about himself. If it lands in the school square, he may tell you about a subject in which he excels, a test on which he did well, a time that he stood up for himself-- anything that he feels makes him special.
3. Next, you toss the beanbag. Tell your child something about him that makes you proud. Many children have learned to focus on what they're doing wrong, instead of what they're doing right. Sometimes, it just takes a gentle reminder that you're proud of them for who they are, not what they do.

The Compliment Game:

1. This game is good to play when you have a group of children, especially if they tend to have a lot of personality conflicts. Give each child a piece of paper. Ask him to tear it into pieces--one for each child in the group. On each piece of paper, he should write the child's name, then list all of the positive characteristics he can think of about that child. Try to have them focus on personality traits and behaviors, not physical attributes.
2. When each child has completed their lists, they should put all of them into a box. An adult in the group can read aloud all of the positive comments about each child. The children are usually very surprised at how many great things are said about them.
3. If they would like, the children can keep their lists in a folder or notebook. Then, when they're feeling a little down about themselves, they can read about how wonderful other people think they are.

Here are some other steps to follow in building your child's self-esteem:

1. Remind your child frequently that you love him unconditionally.
2. Model a positive self-image. Don't criticize yourself or others when he is present.
3. Let him participate in activities where he can excel.
4. If he is struggling with a task, provide him with the resources to master it.
5. Teach him that perfection is not a realistic goal, but improvement is.
6. Teach him that failure is inevitable, but he is strong enough to handle it.
7. Provide him with lots of new experiences so he gains confidence in his ability to face them.

Self-esteem begins to develop at a very early age. By getting your child off to the best possible start, you give him a gift that he can carry with him for the rest of his life.