You Can Do It – Program Achieve

The new You Can Do It –Program Achieve provides parent information sheets to help support the school in education our children in the basics of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Teaching the basics of SEL is no different to teaching the basics of numeracy or literacy. Skills are taught and then mastered. The child becomes proficient and can move to the next stage. We all need skills in numeracy and literacy to navigate life. The same applies to SEL. Numerous studies have found that young people who possess social and emotional skills are in fact happier, more confident, and more capable as students, family members, friends and workers. One of the YCDI 5 Keys to Success is confidence. As we move toward the end of one school year and start 2021 we want all students to feel confident with their new teachers and classroom peers. Here are some tips form the YCDI Parent Brief on building confidence in our children.

  • Daily doses of love, security and encouragement. This also helps build self-esteem.
  • Appropriate praise for a job well done.
  • Resist rescuing. Kids need to know it’s OK to fail, feel disappointment, frustration and anger.
  • Role model perseverance, commitment, working through tough situations and the self-talk needed when chores or schoolwork are boring.
  • Resist stepping in too early to help solve the problem. Stay tuned, listen and encourage, but also give your child time to work it out for themselves.
  • Talk about optimism and resilience. Talk about how disappointment can often translate to defeat unless we think about the situation differently.
  • Monitor perfectionism and the fear of failure. Talk about times in your life when you didn’t get it right first go.
  • Encourage kids to make their own decisions and choices to gain confidence in their judgment.
  • Nurture interests and hobbies. Give kids opportunities for success and socialisation. On a daily basis, we can dole out big doses of confidence building by believing in our kids – their abilities, quirks, qualities and strengths. Confident kids are kids who are comfortable in their own skin…and more likely to take on the world.