By Katie Brenneman
Nannies play a vital role in a child’s development. You support them as their personalities start to flourish, and are there to guide them as they explore and encounter a world full of stimulation and experiences. However, to navigate the wide world that children find before them, they need to have high self-esteem.
So, here are a few ways you can help the children you care for become more confident and feel empowered.
Social Skills
Empowering a child starts with developing social skills. Since you can’t always be there to tell them how to interact with other people, they need to understand how to form healthy, happy relationships with new people on their own. However, as a nanny, it’s sometimes hard to know how to best prepare the children you are caring for to engage with others.
You can start by teaching children to be content within themselves. This might sound like an odd approach, but children who are content radiate confidence and are able to work well with others. You can start to help build a sense of contentment by teaching your children to be grateful for themselves and their friends. Following this, you can work on more complex ideas like teamwork and communication.
If you’re nannying a particularly nervous child who has a hard time socializing, then you might want to work on specific activities designed to help develop social skills. For example, you might spend a morning teaching them how to maintain eye contact while radiating friendly body language, as this will help them make a great first impression. Over time, these exercises will become part of your child’s normal behavior and will help them become more confident when socializing.
Confidence Building Activities
Some children are naturally confident and don’t need anyone to help them feel empowered. For others, finding a sense of confidence takes time and effort. Less confident children will benefit from some of the following activities:
- Outdoor Activities: being outdoors is great for children’s physical and mental health. You can arrange fun backyard activities like treasure hunts and chalk drawing that will build your child’s self-efficacy while they have a great time playing.
- Safe Exploration: young children are naturally curious and love to explore. You can nurture this curiosity through safe exploration activities like playing with musical instruments or by praising them when they ask you questions about the world around them.
- Art: we all love to express ourselves through drawings, paintings, writing, and music. You can help build a child’s confidence massively by praising them when they come out of their shell and create art in any form.
Set a Good Example
Positive role models are so important in a child’s development. As a nanny, you can start setting a great example by learning to appreciate yourself. You can remind yourself of your accomplishments and should accept the praise and appreciation that others give you so you can live with grace and gratitude. This will give your child a great model to look up to and will improve their confidence.
Helping a child become confident and empowered is one of the greatest challenges you’ll face as a nanny. Some days, it’ll seem as though the child you’re looking after is totally ready to tackle the world. On others, you’ll be left wondering what happened to the ball of energy that you remember. That’s completely normal, and it’s your job to give them consistent, thoughtful support as a role model through engaging, confidence-building, activities.
Katie Brenneman is a passionate writer specializing in lifestyle, mental health, education, and fitness-related content. When she isn’t writing, you can find her with her nose buried in a book or hiking with her dog, Charlie. To connect with Katie, you can follow her on Twitter.