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From: Jennifer Watson
Date: 10/20/03
Time: 2:14:12 PM
Remote Name: 138.237.132.184
Hi, Emily- Many believe that children have a relatively well-defined sense of self-esteem by the time they are 8 years of age. Hence, early years can make a real difference in shaping that definition. I have found Joanne Joseph’s book, The Resilient Child, to be a helpful resource in working with young children. She provides some useful suggestions for enhancing self-esteem in young children – these suggestions should be carefully considered as we plan and implement our therapies with CWS: 1. Value the young youngster unconditionally. 2. Set the youngster up to succeed. 3. Empower the youngster (deals with confidence and competence). 4. Help the youngster develop good social skills (e.g., learn to read others, using humor, able to compromise, helpful). 5. Help the youngster become a self-reinforcer. 6. Encourage him to be a positive thinker. 7. Teach youngster the value of delayed gratification (they become better problem solvers, etc.). 8. You and other adults model what you want the the youngster to believe, feel, and do. Clearly how directly you implement these suggestions depends upon the age, cognitive level, and reactions of the child. Jennifer