5 ways your children can boost their confidence this summer

Confidence is one of the most important feelings to encourage in children. Confident children have the tools to handle all sorts of challenges they’ll face in their early childhood and beyond.

The question is: How can you boost your children’s confidence? The most important factor is, unsurprisingly, you. The lessons and situations you experience alongside your kids will set the tone for how they build and maintain confidence throughout their lives. (No pressure!)

But, have no fear; you’re not alone. In fact, this summer could be the perfect time to encourage your children to learn some new skills that will let them develop optimism, confidence, and independence.

All it takes is time, support, encouragement, and a willingness to have fun.

Encourage sports and other physical activities

Sports can help all children build confidence. Through practice, they can monitor their own incremental growth and set achievable goals on their own terms. Sports empower children by allowing them to identify what they are good at. That sense of empowerment motivates kids to build on their interests and skills.

And if your kids find that they are passionate about the activity they are doing, support their pursuit of that passion. A little positive reinforcement goes a long way!

Participate in a community of like-minded individuals

The more children are around other positive, confident individuals, the likelier they are to become confident and positive individuals themselves. Participating in group activities builds teamwork, which is important for lots of different social settings, including sports, jobs, and friendships. By learning teamwork from a young age, kids become socially adaptable.

Being around other like-minded kids will uplift and encourage your children, rather than tearing them down. Further, your children will feel accepted, loved, and more confident. They could end up building lifelong friendships, too!

Achieve small goals

Self-confidence comes from a sense of competence. Help your children set realistic goals that can be met and achieved. No matter how great or small the goals, those little achievements will result in increased confidence.

Confident children need positive and realistic perceptions of their abilities, and that’s where realistic short-term goals come into play.

Teach them resilience

Nobody succeeds at everything on the first try! There will be setbacks and failures. It’s good to use these hurdles as learning experiences rather than dwelling on them. Boost your children’s confidence by validating their feelings; next time, rather than just saying “Don’t worry,” encourage them to try again.

Knowing that setbacks are a part of life and can be managed will help children learn to trust their feelings and feel comfortable sharing them. Talk about what steps can be taken to do better next time. When they succeed, take pride in their accomplishments.

Register your children in Pedalheads

Pedalheads offers learn-to-ride summer bike camps to families in over 45 cities across Canada and the U.S. Their learn-to-ride bike program is best known for helping kids, ages two through 12, get off training wheels and safely ride on the road. Pedalheads helps kids develop life skills, confidence, and independence through fun, safe, and engaging instruction.

Your kids will not only come home feeling proud and more confident, but they’ll have had a week of fun, too!

You can choose from six instructional levels where kids will get time on their bikes playing games, navigating obstacle courses, and challenging themselves with a variety of activities in a safe environment. If your child is off training wheels already, perhaps consider one of their upper levels that help build road safety and improved competence on their bike. In select locations, they also offer an exciting mountain biking option, swimming lessons, and a multi-sport program to boot.

Find out more information about getting your children involved in Pedalheads, and find your nearest Pedalheads location by visiting their official website. Build your children’s confidence and register them confidently today!