Lead by example

Remember you are a role model;
children take their lead from how
those around them act. Parents’
actions give children their strongest
guide for their own behaviour.
Bearing that in mind, try to avoid
criticising yourself in front of your
children and encourage them to
express themselves by talking to
you about feelings.

Give children
individual attention

Show your children aection and
be interested in them as individuals.
When children feel that their parents
notice them it helps them develop
positive self-belief that they are
important individually.

Praise effort rather
than outcomes

It’s important that children build
resilience to deal positively with
disappointment. If children are to
feel good about what they are doing
they need to be able to recognise
that the effort they put in is equally
as valuable as the outcome.

It’s OK to make mistakes

Treat mistakes as learning
opportunities. Reassure your child
that it is ok to make mistakes and let
them experience the consequences
of their choices. Learning from
mistakes enables us all to recognise
what to do dierently the next time.

Discover and develop social skills and talents

Help your children develop their
social skills and talents through
attending clubs, groups and activities.
Encourage them to use creativity to
express themselves. It’s important
that you encourage your child to
engage with others and take part in
activities to develop new interests
and stretch their ability.

Acknowledge success

Sometimes it’s hard for children to
acknowledge the things they are
good at and instead they may focus
on the things they can’t do. Praise
your child’s achievements and tell
them you are proud of them. Don’t
spend time focusing on areas where
they haven’t done so well and
encourage them to keep doing
what they can do well.