The Importance of Self-Esteem in Learners

Introduction

It seems almost to go without saying that a healthy sense of self-esteem is important for children, but less is said about its role in children’s learning journeys.

A person who has self-esteem is confident in themselves and their abilities, someone who knows themselves and is comfortable in their own skin. Put simply, someone with self-esteem feels good about themselves.

At My Primary Tutor, we consciously make sure that we build children’s self-esteem, because we know that it will improve their learning as well as their emotional wellbeing! We know that children with high levels of self-esteem are more likely to have the resilience necessary for a growth mindset, and will be able to find the motivation to push themselves and their learning forwards.

How do we develop self-esteem?

One of the most important ways that we can build self-esteem is to give praise and rewards, but it is important to remember that giving too much praise can actually have a negative effect!

If we lavish praise on a child for absolutely everything they do, no matter what level of effort they have put into it, children will learn that there is little value in praise. Kids know when they’ve been successful and worked hard—and when they haven’t.

At My Primary Tutor, we also try to make sure that we praise the effort that went into a piece of work – helping children to learn that we appreciate how hard they try, as well as the quality of the work they produce. As part of a growth mindset, this is incredibly important, because resilience is built when we know that even if we don’t necessarily reach our goal this time, what we learn will help us to reach it in the future – and that is done by trying our best all the time!

Another way for children to build self-esteem is to begin to develop a sense of their own strengths. With this in mind, the tutors at My Primary Tutor try to make sure that our praise is specific and names what we think went well. So rather than telling a child that we like their work and that they are ’clever’, we will tell them exactly what we liked about the work – for example, the effort that they put into it or the interesting way that they approached it. By telling children exactly what it is that we are praising, they begin to build a picture of themselves as learners, contributing to their self-esteem and their growth-mindset.

Would you like to see what we can help your child to achieve?

We have helped hundreds of children from across the UK to build their self-esteem and confidence, as well as helping them to progress academically! We are always excited to welcome new members to our learning family and help them to begin their journey towards a brighter, more confident future!

Contact us on myprimarytutor@yahoo.com and see where we can take you!