Raising confident happy children

Raising children is a full time job, one that we recognize at Playzone as something that can be challenging but worthwhile. Here at Celbridge Playzone we see a whole host of children who we watch grow and develop into fun loving mischief-makers. We have developed unique relationships not only with the children we see on a regular basis but also their parents and it is for that very reason that we seek to help and support parents just as much as the children. Our blog is the place where parents can come not only to learn about Playzone but also to get some top tips on helping their children to grow and develop in to the little mischief makers we want to see them become, loving life and reminding us adults of the importance of living life to the full and taking advantage of any opportunities that come our way.

Parenting can be stressful, we all want the best for our children, we all want them to grown up to be confident and happy but this can sometimes be challenging. Sometimes as parents we can find ourselves unintentionally preventing our children from being as confident as they could be. Confidence is essential for children as it helps them to grow and succeed in many different areas of life which is why we have sourced some of the top tips for helping you to ensure that your children grown to be happy and confident, testing their limits and living life to the full.

Facing their fears

From a young age it is essential to help your children to face their fears, both developmental fears and learned fears. Overcoming learned fears such as a fear of dogs or spiders could be a daunting task for parents, especially if they share many of the same fears but it is something that will allow your children to develop confidence and allow them to gain a sense of achievement, that they have overcome a fear. It is essential to avoid avoiding ensuring your children can grow and develop.

Nature

Many children develop when they are outdoors, experiencing new things, making new friends, and gaining a sense of autonomy. Engaging with organizations such as Scouting Ireland will not only allow your children to learn new skills but will provide them with a level of autonomy which will allow their confidence to develop along with a greater understanding of the world around them, reducing fears and foster a greater sense of achievement within.

Praise

Praise is crucial for ensuring that children know what they have done well and encouraging a boost in confidence. Nowadays with the media focusing on looks rather than what people do, skills they have and abilities they can develop it is essential for us as parents to focus on what our children do and achieve rather than how they look or how others might view them in aiding the development of their confidence, encouraging children to link their self-worth with the positive things they do will enable them to recognize their talents and create a positive self-image.

Try, try, and try again

We all learn through our mistakes but often children can get frustrated when something doesn’t work our for them the first time round. For this reason many children find themselves lacking confidence in certain areas because they fell they cannot do something. In order to encourage our children’s confidence to develop we must remain children, constantly that if at first you don’t succeed try again. When a child try’s again and again and eventually achieves their confidence will be boosted and they will develop a strong sense of achievement, instilling personal values of persistence and patience.

Responsibility

When children are given responsibilities and trust they often seek to live up to the expectations they feel this responsibility imposes upon them along with maintain trust. When children are given responsibility and trust and succeed in maintaining that trust we often see children grown and develop, building confidence and seeking more responsibility. As parents we may avoid giving our children responsibilities for fear of loosing them and seeing them grow up to fast but in order to ensure that out children grow up to be beaming with confidence and full of autonomy we must give into our own fears in order to allow our children to develop.

Here at Celbridge Playzone we often see children develop confidence by completing simple tasks such as getting to the top of the slide and finding the courage to come down the slide without a parent. It is these small steps that allow children to grow and develop into confident children. Being more than just a play centre we here at Playzone have recognised the role we play in children’s lives in encouraging and supporting them to achieve things. These small achievements, which happen at Playzone, have the power to lay the foundations for your children to develop in confident children.