Self Esteem and Character Building Games for Kids
June 29, 2018
No doubt, you’ve probably heard a variation on the popular expression, “character is who you are when nobody is looking”. No matter what innovative resources you use, or the quality of education your child receives, none of it will matter if your child grows up lacking integrity and a healthy sense of self-esteem.
Sometimes we feel that kids naturally pick up our values and principals just by being around us, and while kids are very impressionable, teaching our kids to love themselves and others should be explicit. Keep reading to discover easy ideas to build your child’s self-esteem and character!
Make an “All About Me” Cutout Poster
What You’ll Need:
- 1 large sheet of construction paper
- Makers or crayons
- Scissors
How to Make It:
This easy activity will teach your child to love him or herself by finding the aspects about themselves that make them happy! First, help your child to cut out a large circle or heart in the middle of the construction paper. Be sure that the opening is large enough to show your child’s entire face. On the remaining paper surrounding the cutout, help your child to write several words that they think describe themselves.
These should be positive adjectives like, “creative”, “funny”, etc. Encourage your little learner to write out every positive word they can think of to describe themselves, and help him or her to decorate the paper with favorite colors and designs. When finished, have your child pose for a picture or look in a mirror as they place their face in the cutout and read out all the words they chose!
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The Pay It Forward Challenge
What You’ll Need:
- A notecard or invitation
- Printer
- A list of ideas
How to Complete It:
One of the best character building activities for kids is simply encouraging kids to do something nice! This activity will “invite” your child to complete a random act of kindness. To start, make an invitation for your child—this can be done by hand, or you can create a printed card using your computer and printer at home. On the card, include the rules of your “Pay It Forward Challenge”.
The rules should include a message for your child to do something nice for someone or something and give your child a specific due date. The rules are up to you, but there should be a call to action and a deadline for when the act of kindness should be completed. On the back of the card, brainstorm with your child a list of ideas. They can choose to do anything from donating time, volunteering, to small acts like simply committing to compliment someone. Whatever your child chooses, he or she will learn the rewards of giving back while feeling good about him or herself!
A Card to Myself
What You’ll Need:
- Construction paper
- Markers
- Crayons
- Small crafts your child enjoys
How to Make It:
Self-esteem activities for kids should be easy and fun, and this quick activity will boost your child’s self-confidence and sense of self-respect! Using construction paper, help your child make a card for themselves. This is a wonderful activity to complete on a favorite day, like a birthday or Valentine’s Day. Help your child think of ways to complete the following sentence stem: “I love that I can…”. Let your child finish the sentence and illustrate what they love about themselves. Using small crafts, stickers, or other designs, encourage your child to decorate the card!
Create a Thankful Booklet
What You’ll Need:
- Printer paper
- Construction paper, or a blank book
- Binding (use a stapler to fold paper in half to create an easy DIY booklet)
- Crayons or colored pencils
How to Make It:
This fun activity can turn into a multi-day project any time of the year to instill in your child a sense of gratitude and giving! First, talk to your child about what it means to be thankful for something or someone, and ask what he or she thinks it means to give thanks. Give your child an example of something they care for if your child is struggling to think of something to be thankful for.
Each day, ask your child what one thing they are thankful for that day. It can be a friend, family member, or anything they feel thankful for. On a new page in the booklet, help your child write down in a sentence what they’re thankful for, and encourage your child to draw a picture to represent that idea. Over several days or a month, compile a booklet of things that your child is thankful for, and encourage him or her to think of ways to show gratitude for those things!
Academics are important, but so is self-development! We all want to see our kids grow up with a healthy concept of self-care and esteem so they can blossom into caring individuals that care about themselves and others! Using the above ideas, let’s get started building self-esteem and character with fun and easy activities perfect for little learners!