It is the last week of term and a well deserved rest for all concerned but what are you going to do to boost your child’s self-esteem ready for the Autumn Term? Here are my top 3 tips for boosting summers self-esteem.
Why is self-esteem important?
Sometimes when we speak with anyone, let alone a child, who has a low sense of self-esteem, we sense the lack of joy or their unhappiness, we perhaps don’t think more deeply about how low self-esteem actually affects an individual.
Many who are unfamiliar with dyslexia will not necessarily know that low self-esteem often comes with the territory of being dyslexic.
Low self-esteem equates to having a low opinion of ourselves. As such it often leads to individuals feeling less confident about themselves, often fostering a belief that the challenges that they experience in school are their fault or that they are not clever enough, rather than understand that their challenges are more to do with the way that the education system often plays to the weaknesses of dyslexic thinkers thus not really allowing their strengths to be recognised.
Having positive self-esteem in school can help dyslexic challenges seem less overwhelming.
In my work as a counsellor supporting clients dyslexic with low self-esteem, I have often thought that in many cases, my clients experience of dyslexia has been made worse by a lack of self belief. With lack of self belief the overwhelm can result in procrastination or a complete avoidance for the tasks at hand. Within the classroom various behaviours may be observed and considered as poor behaviour in class when the reality is that they are strategies for avoidance that are probably rooted in feelings of poor self worth.
If a child believes in themselves, they are more likely to have more confidence in themselves and their ability to ask for help or to be able to articulate their challenges with adults such as teachers and parents. This is likely to bring about a level of support to then help the child to overcome their challenges which ultimately brings about better performance in school.
As parents, with the end of the summer term and the upcoming holidays we have the opportunity to put in action strategies to help build our children’s positive self-esteem so that when they get back to school they have an even better chance of overcoming some of the challenges of experiencing dyslexia.
Three tips for boosting summer self-esteem.
I would like to share with you three tips that can help with boosting your child’s self-esteem.
Final comments.
It is not easy as a parent to see one’s child struggling with self-esteem especially with the day to day rigours of school. If you are finding that your child’s difficulties are triggering difficult emotions for you that affects your ability to objectively negotiate support with school or for that matter affects your own day to day activities then it is often good to talk about that with friends or family. If you don’t feel that you can talk about your feelings with loved ones in a way that helps you to grow then you may want to consider therapeutic counselling, a safe place to explore difficult thoughts and emotions. Find out more here.
Are you a parent of a child with dyslexia?
I have developed a way for you to reflect on how far you have come in getting support for your child and to identify the next steps that you can take confidently so as to unlock the potential of your child.
Find out more by clicking the link below: