Children should not be stereotyped into a general personality because all kids are not the same. Each have their own unique personality which is shaped and molded by the external factors influencing him such as surroundings, parenting, peers, family and the type of environment they are exposed to in the formative years. Every elder person has a role to play in shaping a child’s personality such as teachers, grandparents, uncles, aunt’s siblings and most of all parents. To ensure your child has a positive environment for around personality growth, here are ten tips child personality development.
Which is the best time for child personality development?
The best time for child personality development is during the ages of three to six which is the period when the child’s personality starts to develop and can be observed. This is the time when you should teach them values and practices that can groom them into becoming positive minded healthy teens and adults. Children observe and learn from role models and the biggest role model influence are the parents.
Lecturing your child is not the way to develop personality in children. A child’s personality develops form mirroring the parents whose behavior they feel is the appropriate way for them to behave. You need to be subtle and diplomatic with children to push forward your opinions and views gently by making them understand and differentiate between right and wrong.
1. Don’t label and avoid stereotyping
When speaking about personality development for children, you should never label or brand your kid’s behavior because the child may start thinking they are like that. It shuts the door to correction and results in low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence. Practice caution what you say and how you speak to a child.
2. Listen to your child and pay attention when they speak
Children love attention from parents and regardless of how small or unimportant the subject may be, express interest in what the child says because that is what encourages them to know more, learn more and be aware so that they can come and tell you about it. Preschoolers and toddlers in the stages of language development love talking and this is the time you need to let them do so as it makes them feel confident in your company.
3. Don’t place high expectations
There are several parents who make the mistake of expecting their child to be high performers in everything. This is wrong. Not every child will grow up to be an Albert Einstein. Accusing your child of being incompetent is the worst thing to do for personality development in children. Encourage them in whatever they do irrespective of how they do it and show them where they go wrong gently.
4. Stop comparing
Just because your neighbor’s child scores higher than yours doesn’t mean your child is any less intelligent. Perhaps his time will come later; he could also be the class topper a few years from now, so do no judge your child by comparing them with the feats of other children. Doing so will only result in a depressed, unconfident and insecure child. The child grows up thinking that they need to copy others and loses their own identity.
Comparing your child with other friends, relatives and neighbors, can do a great deal of damage to your child’s personality. Constantly comparing the child to someone sends a message to the child that he or she is not good enough. Children get confused about their own identity and start mimicking others. Respecting the child’s individuality is undoubtedly the first and foremost step in building their confidence and bringing the best out of them.
5. Make a good impression with the right behavior
Children learn from observation and your behavior can have a lasting impression on them. In the stages of child personality development, you need to be careful of even little things like neatness around the house, hygienic practices like teeth brushing and politeness to elders. All this influences how a child will grow up to behave later. Children are fast to pick up hypocritical behavior so it is important to always do the right thing in front of them.
6. Allow children to play
Physical activity is extremely important to channel a child’s energy in the right direction. Moreover, team physical activity teaches a child team work friendship, caring, and resilience to perform well in any sport or games. The unfortunate thing is that parents can be overprotective and not allow their child to play outdoors. Outdoor sports and activities contribute greatly to personality development in children and a little dirt won’t hurt your child but rather improve their immunity.
7. Reduce screen time
By far the most dangerous development of our modern times is the misuse of technology in children. According to studies, increased screen time impedes social, mental and physical development of a child. Moreover, the light from electronic devices such as laptops, tabs and cellphones have been shown to impact sleep patterns and cause insomnia. You should participate in more board games and social interaction with a child that will encourage them to take a liking for such activity. Take your child out for hikes, camping, fishing or even a walk in the park. Treat them to real life experiences instead of virtual reality.
8. Set rules
Children don’t mind accepting responsibilities when they are in the initial stages of child development because they actually love it and it makes them feel important. A younger child would express more interest in helping you clean the house in comparison to a grown-up teen. Thus, a parent should suitably communicate what they expect from a child in terms of appropriate behavior and lifestyle discipline such as proper timings for eating and sleeping, playing or studying. When a child starts to understand this, discipline is automatically cultivated into their personality.
9. Encourage them to be independent
Parents shouldn’t try to mollycoddle a child. Instead they should try to let them to do things or themselves and be independent. Doing everything for your child teaches them nothing and makes them lazy and dependent. To care and nurture you child is no doubt important but in the appropriate instances and situations. Packing a school bag, eating, teeth brushing, and doing their homework are all examples of things a child should be allowed to do alone with minimum supervision.
10. Always be gentle
Yelling at children is the worst thing you can do for child personality development. Children take such things very deeply and it affects them a lot even though they may not show it. Be patient and explain things to the child if they have made mistakes or done something wrong. Most importantly, you need to explain the consequences of a child’s actions both negative and positive. This will definitely bring about change in a child’s attitude. Indifference is the other end of the spectrum and just as bad as it shows the child you couldn’t care less what they do.
The most important aspect of grooming for personality development in children isn’t clothes, and health. While appearances and health are important, what matters most is the social skills, knowledge of everyday life, discipline, and a positive outlook that can impact a child’s personality.