A positive and healthy self esteem is one of the greatest gifts you can give your kid. Children with high self-esteem feel loved and competent and develop into happy, productive people.

To help build your child’s positive self-image as he grows, consider these dos and don’ts.

Give children choices

Giving children choices within a reasonable set of options pre-selected by you  makes them feel empowered. Learning to make simple choices while he’s young will help prepare your child for the more difficult choices he’ll face as he grows.

Let your child take healthy risks

Start by forcing yourself to stand back while your child takes healthy risks. To build confidence in the world, kids have to take chances, make choices and take responsibility for them.

Do assign age-appropriate household chores

Give children responsibility for tasks such as setting the table, walking the dog, and folding laundry. They’ll increase their feelings of competency and bolster their problem-solving skills.

Don’t call children names or use sarcasm to make a point

 Never belittle your child’s feelings. When you get angry take a short break so you don’t say anything you’ll regret. And keep in mind, you can dislike a child’s actions without disliking the child. Be sure to illustrate the difference to your child.

Encourage them to pursue their interests 

Another surefire way to boost confidence in kids is to encourage them to take on tasks they show interest in, then make sure they follow through to completion. The point is for them to stick with what they start, so they feel that hit of accomplishment at the end.