Building up a child’s confidence—the right way

Much buzz was the self-esteem movement during the 1990s, when it was believed that children can unlock their potentials if they believed in themselves. While an admirable idea, the concept of building up self-esteem before developing a skill set was then showed to be very flawed, with children being showered encouragement and praise but not as a reward for accomplishment.

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In a similar way, studies have shown that the manner by which children are given praise by their parents or guardians has a profound effect on child development. The studies point out that praise with feedback on the children’s behavior and the choices they made as toddlers had a deeper and more lasting positive impact on their development than children who were praised based on their own merits (for instance, “you’re a good boy”). The children who were praised based on their choices and behavior fared better five years when faced with difficult problems.

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These researchers, from the University of Chicago and Stanford University, point out that their findings confirm their suspicions about how praise works with children, and seeing it in action in the real world is an exciting discovery. Temple University professor Elizabeth Gunderson adds that praising efforts help children develop long-term persistence and a desire to be challenged and work hard.

The findings can be viewed here.

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School psychologist Yul Whitney contributes to organizations that support children with learning disabilities. Visit this Twitter page for more updates.