When you are confident, you believe in yourself. You know that no matter what, you are capable in your ability to do or achieve anything. For some kids, being confident is not easy. Their mindset is fixed and it might be hard for them to look pasted that to reach their true potential. When this happens, all they need is a little pick me up. They need someone to help them gain or regain confidence!

So, how do you teach kids Confidence?

There are several ways to do this, but I’ve found 5 that has helped me teach my students to become more confident in themselves. They worked for my students and hopefully will work for yours!

~~Positive affirmations are a great way to build confidence. Having your students repeat them daily will help them retain the information and believe it. Here are a few affirmations…

I like me!

I love me!

I like my smile!

I like my skin!

I like my hair!

I love the way I think!

I love the way I talk!

I am smart!

I am the bomb dot com!

I like me!

~~Praise: If you catch your students making right choices, praise them for it. This will encourage them to step outside of their comfort zone and try new things, which has the potential to build their confidence. Simple statements like, “I noticed you working really hard. Keep up the good work” or “You have some great ideas.” or “I’m just loving the way you think… great conversation” This will build confidence because students will realize that people have noticed their hard-work, efforts and achievement, which will make them want to continue to push themselves, continue to do well and build their confidence up while doing so. **Plus, everyone loves a little Praise**

~~Leadership: Allow students a chance to be leaders in school and in the community. This will build confidence because it will make them feel good about themselves and the work they have accomplished. Feeling good about yourself and your accomplishments will build your confidence. Here are some example of each:

1. School: assign a job (line leader, team/group leader, table washer, the pencil sharpener, paper passer), have students facilitate or lead a classroom discussion or pick an activity for the entire class to complete.
2. Community: have students volunteer to help by picking up trash outside, have them create a mural to decorate a sidewalk, wall or bench, have students help in a rest home or nursing home by reading to the elderly. They can even be a leader by educating others about their own community.

~~Personal Qualities: No one is good at everything, but we are all good at something! Highlight students’ personal qualities. If the student is hard-working, creative, trustworthy, thoughtful, kind, honest, determined, helpful, etc.. make a special effort to bring attention to it. This will build confidence because your students will stop focusing on qualities they think they don’t have and focus more on qualities they do have.

~~I am Special: Have students think about what makes them special. Some of my students found it difficult to think about what makes them special, so I had them think about something they are really good at. Being good at something makes you special because what you are good at does not mean someone else is good at it. You can do this activity many ways. You can have students write about what makes them special in a Journal. This also promotes positive self-talk! You can have students get in a circle and talk about what makes them special. This will build confidence because students will begin to think and reflect on what they can do verse what they struggle with doing.

~~Practice/act it out: Have you heard of the saying “practice makes perfect?” What about the saying “practice makes progress?” Which ever one you agree with the most, allowing students a chance to practice or act out ways to be confident will build confidence. Give students an opportunity to speak in front of the class, don’t force them to, just allow your students plenty of opportunities to do this. This can be done with show and tell or they can read aloud a story, poem or a book they like to the class. You can play the game “would you rather” with your students. I like to play this game with my students because it gives them a chance to share their thoughts. What I like to do is have everyone sit in a circle, pick a question from a hat, read it out loud or I will read it out loud and let them answer the question. This will build confidence because each student is heard, encouraged and given a voice. The more they do this, the more comfortable they will become which will build their confidence.

To conclude, kids need to understand that some things are not going to be easy. Some things are going to be challenging which might make them begin to doubt their abilities and lose confidence. If this happens, teach them how to overcome this with positive affirmations. Praise their efforts and the things they’ve accomplished. Allowing them a chance to be leaders. Let them reflect on why they are special and on their personal qualities… because remember, Confidence is Key!

Additional Resources: I’ve created a fun and interactive 6 week unit on positive self-esteem which will help students build confidence. Throughout this unit, students will get to know who they are and why their personal qualities make them special. They will learn how to use positive self-talk while filling their own special bucket. Students will understand how mistakes may affect self-esteem and learn how to use positive self-talk as a tool to help with this. Lastly, they will learn how self-confidence will help them succeed and why it’s important to believe in themselves!

Click here to access this resource: Self-Esteem Unit

I love this video. It’s about a little girl who walks past the mirror and is stopped by her reflection. Her reflection speaks to her and tells her all the things she likes about herself. This video is all about self-love which also builds confidence. Check it out!

Let’s keep in touch! Follow my teacherspayteachers store for great resources and free products. Also, follow me on Facebook for updates on blog posts and other great information. Last but not least, subscribe to my blog for bi-monthly emails and don’t forget to like or leave a comment under any post, I would love to hear from you!