This month’s focus is CONFIDENCE. Being confident means developing and using a ‘CAN DO’ attitude. Children who believe they can get better at things, it turns out, normally can with practice and determination. A big part of our success with children at Kip McGrath is a result of helping them restore their confidence. In fact, most of our parents say improved confidence is one of the biggest benefits their child gains from attending tutoring.
Here are a few suggestions for you to try at home.
1. Give really specific feedback to your child when he/she does things well (I really liked the way you spent extra time clearing up, Ruby. It’ll be much easier to bake our cakes now). Ruby in this example is hearing that her effort paid off and, over time, will see how valuable it is to go the extra mile.
2. Choose something for each member of the family, that each of you finds difficult. Make a list and pin it to the fridge door (Dad’s going to try not to lose his temper when Jim spills his cereal; Jim’s going to try and eat his breakfast without leaving a mess on the table etc). Share your experiences with each other; remember to encourage everyone to talk about any struggles they have and how they deal with them. Children learn that struggling and making mistakes are normal and healthy aspects of learning.
3. Set goals and then plan how you will achieve them. Homework provides a good opportunity to help your child break a task down into its smaller components, think through how long each part might take, make a plan, do it and then, whenever possible, talk about how it went.
4. Listen out for anyone who sounds as if they are being negative about their achievements and help them to rephrase it (‘I just can’t do Twitter’
‘Dad, what you mean is that you haven’t yet worked out how to tweet!’)
Remember: Confidence grows best in situations where we feel supported and encouraged. It is the result of setting and achieving goals.
