Making your children strong for life – that's what all parents want. After all, having a strong personality doesn't just help children go through life positively. It is also an important foundation for overcoming conflicts and difficulties and for resisting addictive substances in later life. What makes children strong? You can find out here.
Making children strong – for a life free of addiction
When children know their strengths, when they can trust and experience trust themselves, it not only becomes easier for them to cope with life's challenges. They are also less likely to use addictive substances later in life. The “Make children strong” initiative helps parents and caregivers to actively strengthen children through education, hands-on activities, training and lots of suggestions for everyday life. Because we can all contribute a lot very early to our children becoming self-confident personalities. How? We have put together six tips to help you with this.
The basis: trust
Love, security and security are the cornerstones, the important roots that your child needs to develop freely and confidently. If your child feels that they can trust you and you are actively listening to them, it will be easier for them to feel loved and understood even when something goes wrong. And that is the best basis for your child to come to you with problems.
I have confidence in you
With this trust in their backs, your child can discover the world curiously and playfully. If your child is more of a fearful type, encourage and motivate them. Trust also means: trust your child with something! This is the only way to gain confidence in yourself and to have the confidence to master difficult situations. The initiative “Make children strong” has put together simple game ideas for the home that strengthen the child's self-esteem and self-confidence. Why don't you try solving these tricky tasks together. Important: praise and recognition!
Freedom and limits in balance
Children need freedom to develop their own ideas and try out new things. If they are overly guarded, they usually have less confidence in themselves – now and in later life. But that doesn't mean that parents shouldn't set any limits. Limits and rules that are as clear and comprehensible as possible provide security and are an important form of care. Through them, children also notice that someone is interested in what they do and don't do. But not only parents, children too must be able to say no without fear of rejection. Because in this way they learn to draw and enforce their own limits outside of the family.
Allow mistakes and disappointments
When children discover the world, of course, they occasionally reach their limits or experience situations in which disappointment occurs. Getting to know these feelings, being allowed to make mistakes, is also important. If parents intervene too early to help, children quickly believe that they cannot do it themselves. It is not important to keep children away from all disappointments, but rather to let them feel: someone is there when something goes wrong.
Develop conflict and communication skills
There is conflict in every family and that is not a problem. Much more important is how they are solved. Because the first thing your child learns in a family network is how to best behave in a conflict. Objective and considerate communication is therefore essential – between the adults and above all with your child. It also creates trust when children feel that their opinion is first heard in conflict situations between parents and child and is not only communicated one-sidedly. Of course, everyday life is sometimes different. But don't worry, children also appreciate an honest apology when things get a little more turbulent.
Promote body awareness and togetherness
Body awareness and self-awareness are linked! When children romp and exert themselves, they learn to feel their body – and much more. The initiative “Make children strong” sees club sports as an excellent school for life. Because in sports and especially in clubs, children develop their body awareness and their athletic skills and at the same time practice dealing with success and failure. You learn to act in a team, learn what mutual respect means and, in addition, take many other important steps on the way to a strong personality.
What else can I do?
Would you like to get involved in the project in kindergarten or in your children's school? The initiative provides the parents' evening box free of charge for all parents who want to provide information about “making children strong”.
Or you can simply visit the “Make children strong” adventure land with your children, which takes place at around 20 family and sporting events all over Germany. At many exciting hands-on stations, everything revolves around important strong makers such as courage, recognition and team spirit.
This article originally appeared on Eltern.de.