Fun and Effective Self-Esteem Activities to Build Confidence in Kids
Introduction: Why Self-Esteem Activities for Kids Matter
Supporting children and teens with self-esteem is significant for their development in various foundational areas of life. A strong sense of self-esteem helps kids feel confident in their abilities, connect better with others, and handle life's ups and downs.
From early childhood through the teenage years, self-esteem acts as a protective shield—supporting mental health, academic performance, and emotional resilience. Research shows that children with higher self-esteem are less likely to develop anxiety, depression, or struggle with peer relationships. The good news? Confidence can be nurtured with consistent, age-appropriate activities that teach kids how to value themselves, bounce back from setbacks, and see their own strengths.
15 Self-Esteem Activities for Kids to Build Confidence
- The “I Am” Self-Portrait Circle
Have your child place a photo or drawing of themselves in the center of a page and surround it with words that describe them, such as “friend,” “helper,” “creative,” or “brave.” This activity helps kids recognize the many positive roles they play.
- Positive Affirmation Mantras
Positive affirmations or mantras, can also be incredibly powerful for children, preteens and teens to lean into and manifest. For instance, “I am enough just as I am” or “I am unique and special as I am.” Being curious and holding space for your child to develop their own positive affirmations or mantras, or finding ones that resonate, are key. This can be an activity the two of you can engage in together, perhaps using sticky notes or flash cards to post around the house or carry in their backpack or agenda book.
- Gratitude Journaling
Daily or weekly journaling prompts help kids focus on the positive and can have a buffering effect on stress, while boosting positivity and emotional awareness. In fact, research highlights the positive impacts of acknowledging gratitude. You can support your child with this task by encouraging them to reflect on what they are thankful for. This could be a special friend they have at school, or their ability to go outside and play every day. It could also be their health or anything else that comes to mind. They can have a special journal designated for this task, and this can be done regularly each night before bed.
- Personal Goal-Setting with SMART Goals
Teach kids to set and track realistic, growth-oriented goals to instill a sense of achievement. Identify a goal, whether it is to do better in a class, take up a new sport, or improve emotional regulation skills. Break the goal up into smaller parts. This is a great way to ensure this goal is achievable and attainable, keeping your child engaged in the process.
- Strengths Collage
Children collect visuals or words that reflect what makes them feel special, recognized and unique. Using magazines, drawings, or printouts, kids collect images that represent their talents, values, and dreams. This creative task enhances self-recognition, which supports self-esteem.
- Kindness Circle or Letter Exchange
Encourage your child to write kind notes to each other or say what they appreciate about someone else in the group (this could be your family, or to their friends). These tasks encourage self-reflection and self-esteem by identifying these strengths in others. It also helps them see what others recognize in themself.
- Emotion Charades or Mood Wheel
Use games that build emotional literacy and self-expression, such as emotional charades. Consider using a printed mood wheel to engage your child in a discussion about how they feel. Emotional awareness and expression are key components to developing healthy self-esteem. Teach your child that all emotions serve a purpose. This encourages them and helps them feel safe to share without shame or blame.
- Creative Expression through Art or Music
Encourage your child to use painting, music, or crafts to explore and express their individuality. Music and poetry can be a great way to explore and share feelings, or even put feelings into words. Free painting, crafts and collages are a great way to prompt creativity and self-expression.
- Physical Confidence Builders (Sports, Dance, Yoga)
Movement-based activities, like dance, sports, theatre, yoga or play, are all valuable tools for building and cultivating self-esteem for your child. Be curious about what activity appeals to them. Check in with your community and school to see if there are any recreational programs or activities that are being offered. Many of these are often available at low to no cost.
- Social Skills Role-Play
Use various social scenarios, conflict resolution, or teamwork simulations to boost communication, social skills and self-assurance. Providing psycho-education regarding social skills and communication in these different situations is valuable for your child to support their conflict resolution skills. It also helps to learn to take the other person’s perspective (building empathy) in age-appropriate ways. This could be done by sharing toys for younger children, or taking another person’s perspective in the classroom. Modeling age-appropriate social scenarios can be beneficial for children to build self-esteem and confidence. This can also provide perspective and age-appropriate social etiquette, which can help gain confidence with age-appropriate social skills. Encourage older children who want help with social skills to ask you for your support.
- Mindfulness Meditation & Holistic Forms of Nourishment
Engage in mindfulness meditation exercises to support your child with stress management, emotional regulation and neuroplasticity. These all promote healthy self–esteem. Encourage your child to simply be present (with non-judgmental awareness). Play music or take them outside. This helps them reflect and be curious about whatever experiences they are having. Being outside in the sun, surrounded by nature, can encourage your child to ground their senses. Ensure your child gets enough sleep/rest, movement and nourishing whole foods. These are also important parts of a solid foundation to build self-esteem.
- Overcoming Fears Worksheet (“I’m Afraid But…”)
Help your child face their fears by imagining possible outcomes. This process builds resilience and eases emotional tension. It also strengthens your bond with them. Validate their feelings while encouraging them to overcome challenges with self-compassion and consistent effort. For example, if a class feels overwhelming, remind them of their strengths and past successes. Use age-appropriate tools like journaling or simple discussions (e.g., describing “butterflies” in their tummy) to help identify emotions. Reinforce messages such as “I’m afraid but I believe in myself,” to let them know you believe in them. Practicing facing fear can help boost a child’s confidence in their ability to handle adversity. Encourage your child to face the fear with self-compassion and curiosity. These responses can be logged on a piece of paper and shared with you. For younger children, modify the exercise to explore what may be causing them dysregulation. Consider using a discussion, such as identifying what may be causing the butterflies in their tummy. - Quality Time With Your Child
One of the most important things you can do to support your child’s self-esteem is to make them feel seen, heard and loved. Ensuring your child feels emotionally safe to be vulnerable and honest with you as their caregiver is essential. Aim to carve out some time to be with your child, whether it is grabbing ice cream together, going for a walk, or simply just being together and asking them how they are. Inquire about how things are going for them and take an interest in what lights them up (whether it be sports, academics, theatre, or anything else). During this time, try to avoid giving them any kind of instruction or criticism. Just focus on enjoying time together.
- Achievement Reflection Journal
Prompt your child to log wins (big or small) and write down how they felt. This task helps reinforce self-worth through identification of their accomplishments. They can also reflect with you on how they felt when they accomplished a task that once felt daunting. Encourage consistency with them reflecting on their achievements, no matter how small. This can be kept in a separate journal and be a valuable task to complete prior to dinner. Ask them to share their accomplishments with you and your family each day, big or small. This supports self-esteem and can strengthen your bond with them as they work towards goals and share progress.
- Vision Boards
Encourage kids to visualize future goals, hopes, and strengths in a tangible, creative way with a vision board. If your child needs some encouragement, you can always help them complete this project. Start by getting a poster board (or even a piece of paper!), markers or crayons, and let them be creative about how they want to create art. This is a way to identify what is important to them, while acknowledging their effort towards reaching this goal. (advice and structure)
How These Activities Support Mental Health
The Science Behind Confidence and Emotional Well-Being
Activities like journaling, mindfulness, and creative expression do more than occupy time—they create emotionally safe spaces where children feel seen, heard, and valued. These experiences are crucial for building self-worth. Research shows that when children engage in self-affirming tasks and reflective practices, they activate brain pathways linked to emotional regulation and confidence. Feeling emotionally safe—where their thoughts and feelings are validated—helps children develop secure self-concepts. This sense of acceptance is a key predictor of long-term self-esteem.
Building Resilience Against Negative Self-Talk and Anxiety
These supportive activities also help children counteract negative self-talk and reduce anxiety by reinforcing adaptive thinking. Cognitive-behavioral principles, acceptance, and mindfulness suggest that practicing self-reflection and emotional expression can reframe internal narratives and increase resilience.
Masten, a researcher in resilience psychology, demonstrates that resilience is nurtured through everyday experiences that allow children to face challenges in an emotionally safe and affirming environment. When children feel emotionally supported, they’re more likely to develop the internal tools they need to handle setbacks and self-doubt.
When to Seek Professional Help for Self-Esteem Issues
Signs Your Child May Need Therapy
The following signs may be indicative your child may greatly benefit from therapy:
- Frequent negative self-talk or low self-worth
- Avoidance of social or academic challenges
- Mood changes, anxiety, or emotional withdrawal
- Talk of hopelessness or self-harm
If these patterns persist, therapy can offer crucial support.
How Pediatric Therapy Can Reinforce Self-Worth
Looking for expert support? Handspring’s child therapists are here to help. Book your free intake consultation today and empower your child to thrive. 👉 Visit handspringhealth.com for more info.
FAQs About Self-Esteem Activities for Kids
Q1: What are the signs of low self-esteem in children?
Avoidance behavior (including avoiding or suppressing difficult emotions, social or new situations), emotional (e.g., frequent self-criticism), and physical cues (e.g., poor posture, eye contact) can all provide insight into struggles with self-esteem for children. Social withdrawal can also be indicative of this, so it is important to be aware of your child’s engagement in school and extracurricular activities.
Q2: How can I tell if these activities are helping?
Look for increased engagement, improved self-expression, and more positive language (including body language). Journaling and mood tracking can help measure progress. Checking in with your child and asking them how they are doing is also important; ensuring they feel emotionally safe to share vulnerably can go a long way. Being that safe person for your child is important.
Q3: How often should we do self-esteem activities?
A few minutes daily or a fun session weekly can help—consistency is more important than duration. Also, ensuring the time you spend with your child is being present and making them feel seen and loved is very important for building their self-esteem.
