How can you highlight your child’s strengths and why is this important in their personal and social development?

So personal and social development is crucial as this is what equips a child to deal with life! This is what will determine their self esteem levels and thus their willingness to try! To help boost your childs self esteem we must focus on their strengths and not fixate on weaknesses. But ofcourse we must ask the experts…

Dr. David J Carey, Consulting Psychologist has identified six strengths that are related to the predictable sequence of brain growth and development. He quotes “ These six strengths, if nurtured and fostered appropriately, will help a child grow to become a productive member of society” The strengths he states are ; Attachment , Self-regulation , Affiliation , Attunement , Tolerance & Respect http://www.davidjcarey.com/early_childhood_education.html

The book Your Child’s Strengths Discover Them, Develop Them, Use Them by Jenifer Fox M.Ed. is an essential book for parents and teachers. It explores how children’s individual strengths create success. Jennifer is interviewed in Words to Mouth and quoted for saying “utilizing children’s strengths rather than spending all your time trying to fix, or remediate weaknesses, they grow up to be happier, healthier and more productive citizens.” http://wordstomouth.com/2008/04/28/a-conversation-with-jenifer-fox-author-of-your-childs-strengths/ So we have another expert in agreement that focusing on strengths and building self esteem is important for personal and social development.

Unfortunately, many youngsters view themselves in a negative way, as they learn about themselves and each other. It is the human instinct to naturally evaluate, measure and judge. So it is important to help show your child the strengths that they have. Amy Phoenix, eHow Contributor, wrote an article called How to find strengths and weaknesses in kids. She agrees that fixating on weaknesses can be detrimental. “It is important to recognize that weaknesses in kids are not permanent traits, but rather indicators of areas that may need attention. Learning about and helping children identify their strengths and weaknesses can help you support them as they make decisions about careers or their life path.”

http://www.ehow.com/how_8142708_strengths-weaknesses-kids.html#ixzz1j4ACqQ2i