How To Help Kids Inculcate Self-Love?

Self-love is an essential ingredient for a happy mindset and consequently for a happy life!

It means accepting our emotions for what they are; putting our mental, physical and emotional well-being first; having a healthy self-image; and making self-nurturing choices in life.

The mental and emotional frameworks our children create for themselves at an early age leave an impact on their entire lives. As American Social Reformer, Frederick Douglass has famously said-

“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men”

So to help you put your child on a happy life path, we are giving you 5 invaluable tips/things-to-do for inculcating self-love in your little one. In fact we recommend that you take part in these activities along with your child, as not only will they be helpful to you too but they can become positive rituals that you and your child practice together, strengthening your relationship even more.

1. Promote Positive Self-Talk

There are several “voices” or narratives that run through our minds- some are positive and self-encouraging and some are the opposite- negative and full of self-loathing. Help your child make the positive narratives louder by having them replace “I can`t do this” with “Yes I can!”, or “I am not good enough” with “I am everything I need to be victorious!”, and so on.. The more positive things they say to themselves, the more they would start believing in them, and thereby their actions will also be filled with self-confidence.

2. Help Practice Gratitude

Practicing the act of gratitude is a wonderful opening to having a positive outlook on life. It helps children (and us as well) to start seeing the glass as half full, as we become more aware of the positive aspects of our life. It is also a wonderful quality for healthier relationships as it teaches us to be more appreciative of each other rather than finding faults. You can teach the child to take a few moments each morning to remember and reflect on everything they are grateful for in life. These things can be anything from their favourite toys to having loving family and friends.

3. Don`t Compare

Comparing ourselves to someone else creates a mindset of seeing lack in one`s own self. Foster your child`s individuality by allowing and encouraging them to be the best version of themselves. If there are areas of their life where you believe they need improvement, and any such improvement will genuinely lead to a happier life for them, use encouraging words that tell them that they can make a difference and do better. Encourage a growth mindset in them, where they understand that consistent practice and hard work can help develop any skill they want!

4. Promote Self-Care

Help your child fall in love with taking healthy care of themselves. Encourage them to eat healthy, exercise or take up a fun sport, bathe regularly, drink loads of water, meditate and relax, and so on. Make them aware of the importance and benefits of inculcating healthy habits for the long term happiness of life.

5. Become the Change You Want to See

Become a role model for self-love for your child! Children learn best by observation and if they see a parent who loves themselves they will automatically pick up any such healthy habits and mindsets. So if you want your child to love him or herself then make sure you love yourself as well!

We hope you found this blog resourceful and fun-to-read! For more of such content read our other blogs on parenting at Parenting Nuggets by The Banyan.