Building self-esteem can be a tricky issue. Simply praising a child is not going to be enough, and overpraising can do more harm than good. Children in foster care often struggle with self-esteem for various reasons. They may lack stability in their lives, be dealing with abandonment issues, or are frustrated by their financial situation. However, foster parents can have a significant impact on their children’s self-esteem.
Educate Yourself
The first step to helping children in foster care improve their self-esteem levels is to educate yourself. What kind of approach do you use? What words will be more helpful and effective in instilling a child’s belief in his/her ability to be more, to be worth something? Thorough and careful research will help you figure out how to render help in the right way and context.
Support Social Activities
Look for charity organizations for children that fund social activities for the kids. Playing sports or participating in games may not seem like a lot of help. But it is. Play encourages kids to be children, to just let loose and have fun, something they may never have tried before.
Understand the Context
Take a minute to study the psychology of children in foster care. Kids who often have positive self-esteem are happy. They feel secure. They know they’re safe, and this makes it easy for them to talk to other people. Because they aren’t afraid. They can reach out to others without much encouragement. Children in foster care, on the other hand, grew up in a different environment. They may not have had a chance to play when they were growing up. Their knowledge of the world is colored by what they have experienced and if that experience includes abuse, neglect, and maltreatment, then they’re going to grow up without a sense of their self-worth.
Use Fun to Help
It can be daunting to think of ways to help. But funding charity organizations for children like the Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation that allow them fun experiences as kids is a good start. It can be the chance they need to experience fun and to start seeing the world through different eyes. If it changes the way they see things, if it makes them think there’s more to life than abuse and neglect, and it makes them believe there is love and goodness in the world as well, then your efforts are well worth it. Make a difference today.