Ways to boost your child’s self esteem through play, feeding, and encounters with others

12 months old:

• Allow your child to feed himself finger-foods and his bottle

16 months old:

• Allow your child to use a fork to spear food
• Let him decide whether or not he wants to eat, don’t force

1 – 2 year olds:

• Encourage parallel play with peers
• Plan playdates and outings ahead
• On play dates try not to leave until your child is ready
• Encourage your child to stay in the play group
• Don’t push him to share his toys but teach him about taking turns
• Let other children teach him – you may need to intervene sometimes  but wait a bit to see if he can work it out

3 – 5 year olds:

• Reward your child for success in learning to play with others
• Encourage 1 or 2 regular buddies or play mates that he gets to know well to understand and rely on as friends
• They will give him a feeling of being competent with other people. They will teach him to share and be considerate of other people’s feelings.

3 – 5 year olds:

• Reward your child for success in learning to play with others
• Encourage 1 or 2 regular buddies or play mates that he gets to know well to understand and rely on as friends
• They will give him a feeling of being competent with other people. They will teach him to share and be considerate of other people’s feelings.