When children first enter school, it is very important that you encourage them in everything they do. It is never too early to talk to your child about what they want to do when they grow up, and to encourage all of their ideas. Never burst your child’s bubble if they say they want to be something you don’t believe they will ever do.

If you ever tell your child this, you are insuring that they will never be whatever it is that you tell them they won't. Because you genuinely don't know what they will be or do when they grow up, and the goal is to teach your children that they can be and do anything they want. Not only that they can, but that you believe they will if they want it bad enough.

It's the same with schoolwork, even as young as kindergarten. If you are interested in what your child is doing in school, they will be more interested. If you encourage them, and build their self-esteem, they will thank you for it later. You should also never underestimate your child's abilities and intelligence.

My son, at the age of 6, told me he wanted to build his own hang glider. I could have told him that there was no way he would be able to build one, and that it wouldn't matter if he did, because he wouldn't be allowed to try it out anyway, but I didn't. Instead, I told him to think up the best way and I told him that he probably could do it.
Eventually, he thought about it long and hard enough to realize that it would take more work to accomplish it than he was willing to put in. So, I never had to even tell him that he couldn’t jump off the roof, and I never had to crush his self esteem.

It's the same with school and grades, even in their first couple of years. Always, no matter what the grades are, you should tell your child how smart they are. You will, of course, want to always pressure your child to do their best and try their hardest, but if they are doing that, and it's not as good as you would like it to be, you should never let them know that.

Self-confidence can lead to great things, and the lack of it can lead to a person giving up. If you are capable, but don’t believe you can do something, you won't try, which means you don’t have much of a hope of succeeding. If you have self-confidence, and you try something you feel you can do, you may never reach the goal, but you will most certainly come closer than if you never tried.

So, even at this young of an age, you should always boost your child's self-esteem, and you should always encourage them to do their work, and do it to the best of their ability. They will be better people for it.

Copyright 2004. All educational materials are the sole property of Childrens Marketplaceand are available for the benefit of our parents. Duplication or use of any material requires the express consent of Childrens Marketplace.