Self-esteem and self-belief
Self-esteem is feeling good about yourself. It’s about knowing you belong, you matter, you can do things well and you’re worthy of being loved and accepted by people who are important to you. Having high self-esteem enables us to act independently, attempt new tasks, deal with challenges, tolerate frustration, take pride in our achievements and actively participate in our community.
Self-belief is believing you can learn and achieve new things. Children in care will develop self-belief by learning new skills and achieving mastery. When this happens children will grow in self-esteem. This is about a lot more than positive feedback. We need to create the conditions for children to learn new skills and to do well.
Children in care have often experienced trauma, neglect and adversity. Their experiences before and during care, such as being separated from parents or insecurity arising from placement changes, can affect their self-esteem, confidence and ability to cope.
Relationships, connections, belonging and children’s self-esteem
Being connected to other people who care about them is good for children’s self-esteem. Being connected to friends and people in the community helps children learn how to relate to others and can boost confidence.
Children’s self-esteem comes from
- Knowing that they’re loved and that they belong to a family and a community that values them
- Spending quality time with their families and having their families included and respected by their carers
- Being encouraged to try new things, finding things they’re good at, learning skills and achieving mastery
The value in keeping children active
Encouraging children to participate in sport, creative hobbies and other activities they enjoy helps them develop new skills, self-esteem and a sense of purpose and identity.
Your lifestyle, enthusiasm and support can have a major impact on getting children involved in activities. Get children away from screens and encourage them to be part of life.
Involvement in activities such as sports, arts, music, dance, drama and playgroups can
- help get children through a difficult time
- help them make links in their community, interact with peers and make new friends
- provide opportunities for safe risk taking, learning and developing teamwork, coordination and discipline skills
- offer a way to express themselves and their feelings creatively in a safe environment
- promote self-worth and a sense of accomplishment
- provide a chance to play and learn with others
- give you an opportunity to make new friends and develop a support network in your local community
For NSW The “Active Kids Program,” is a NSW Government initiative to promote more involvement of kids in sports, fitness and active recreation activities. The program gives each child a $100 voucher that can be used with a registered provider for registration, participation and membership costs for sport, fitness and active recreation activities.
NSW - Apply for an Active Kids voucher here.
Also in NSW, parents, guardians and carers can apply for a Creative Kids voucher with a value of up to $100 per calendar year for each student aged 4.5 to 18 years old enrolled in school.
The voucher may be used with a registered activity provider for registration, participation and tuition costs for creative arts, speech, drama, dance, digital design, coding, and music lessons and activities.
Apply for a Creative Kids voucher here