Helping a Child to Embrace their Individuality

Guest Post by Becky Goddard-Hill 

Create Your Own Confidence is a new book by wellbeing author and children’s psychotherapist Becky Goddard-Hill. It is book 4 in her series of emotional health activity books for 6–12-year-olds to support them to develop positive wellbeing strategies.

The book contains 50 topics such as making friends, making decisions and being brave and each one topic is underpinned by science and research. Each topic also includes an activity for kids to put their learning into practice and have fun!

Here is an extract from the book on helping a child to embrace their individuality. 

Unique, wonderful you 

By being yourself, you put something wonderful in the world that was not there before. – Edwin Elliot

It can feel safe to be just like everyone else: liking the same music, wearing the same clothes, having the same opinions, and being interested in the same things. It can make you feel more comfortable if you feel you don’t stand out and that you do fit in.

Deep down though you know that you aren’t exactly like everyone else, and you have your own. 

• thoughts 
• skills 
• strengths 
• opinions 
• likes 
• dislikes 
• views 
• interests 
• dreams
• ambitions
• goals
• history
• culture
• Identity
• values 
• talents

All of these combined make you absolutely unique.

Confidence comes from 2 things …

Believing in yourself, your abilities and ideas

Understanding and accepting yourself for who you are. 

Confidence doesn’t come from fitting in, it comes from knowing and liking who you really are.

Activity

Create an all about me collage or journal

Using magazines, newspapers and any other bits and bobs you can find, make a poster or journal that explores all about you, bearing in mind the list of what makes you YOU  above. Display it with pride and look at it often – be proud of the only you on this entire planet.

Create your own confidence being your true self

Create Your Own Confidence is published by Harper Collins and is out now