School years are the most foundational in personal development. With the current pace of life, schoolgoing children often struggle with psychological and social stress factors. 

We as adults can help our little ones. Here are a few tips to help school students develop the inner confidence they have, which just needs the right push sometimes. 

1. Letter to Self

The lost art of letter-writing is indeed one of psychology’s most useful tools of reflection. You can get creative and give prompts such as:

• Write a letter to yourself, but the future self at the end of the school year
• Write a letter to your past self (for example, kindergarten self)
• Write a letter to your future adult self (when you have made it to your dream profession)

Letters to the past help students reflect upon how far they have come in their lives, how much they have learnt. Letters to the future, on the other hand, help them with self-determination, goal-setting, and also make a fun read years later. 

2. Gratitude Journal

Gratitude journaling encourages students to not just notice the positivity in their lives, but also to remember, appreciate, and nurture it. There are numerous ways to write down what you’re thankful for. 

• Weekly list of 3 things you are thankful for 
• List of people you are thankful for, with words of appreciation for them
• List of things you are thankful to yourself for

Gratitude journaling shifts a student’s mindset from scarcity or negativity to positivity, ultimately helping them build confidence in themselves, their present and future. 

3. Board Games

A huge part of self-confidence is social validation. Outside the school’s competitive environment, students must learn to interact with each other as friends and supporters. A fun way to achieve this is cooperative board games. These games don’t focus on playing against each other, but on working together and sharing wins. There are many options available for online and offline purchase such as Race To The Treasure, Hoot Owl Hoot, and Dinosaur Escape.

4. “I AM” Tree

The I AM tree is a powerful identity-strengthening exercise. It’s very simple. Students have to draw a large tree, and fill its branches with leaves. Each leaf has to be a new word to fill the blank in “ I am ___”. You can find insights into your children’s lives with this simple game, when they write things such as “I am shy”, “I am strong”, “I am happy”, “I am confused”, etc. The moral of the exercise is that each of us is a unique tree made of all kinds of good and bad leaves. 

5. Counselling

No matter how many measures parents and teachers take, sometimes, a student might need a special push. If you notice a student who is particularly struggling with self-confidence at school, home, and general day-to-day life, taking them to a professional counsellor could make a world of difference.

Takeaway

We must take responsibility to help future adults gain faith in themselves at school and beyond. Try these confidence-building activities with your children/students, and feel free to get more creative!