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Our sponsor Simon & Schuster introduced us to the best new book series for girls! This series is a tool we are using to help promote self-confidence in our daughters that will last a lifetime!
Over the years, I have really learned a lot about promoting self-confidence in my daughters.
I learned pretty early on in this parenting adventure how important self-confidence is and why we as parents need to instill it in our daughters.
There are a lot of ways to promote self-confidence, and I have three ways to share today that you can start at any age and that will help build that confidence up to last a lifetime!
Tip #1- Encourage them to build their own confidence up. The truth is, we won’t always be there for our kids. When they leave the house they are going to face many different personalities and situations. They are going to have to draw from their own positivity to keep their confidence levels high. An exercise we use to do this is to have Emmy write out “what I like about me”. Then I have her write all the little things she loves about herself.
I get teary-eyed when we do this because it is some powerful stuff. I love that she loves and values that she is kind, generous, brave and adventurous.
After she makes her list, we talk about why each of these traits is so important and that whenever she is feeling a little low on self-confidence, she can go back to this list and refill her confidence levels. I empower her to know that she has everything she needs to feel confident right in her mind!
Tip #2- I choose my words very carefully. Instead of telling my girls that they are smart, I use phrases like “you are a really good problem solver” or “you are really good at knowing where to find answers and solutions”. The reasoning behind this is that no matter how “smart” they are, there will come a time when they will be in a situation, like taking a class in school and it won’t be easy for them, no matter how smart they are. I want to empower them to feel confident that they can still do well. They just have to put in the time and hard work to do it.
Tip #3- We share stories of confident girls. From real-life examples of our personal heroes to fun books that have strong female characters, this is a great way to encourage in subtle, yet powerful ways.
A favorite for Emmy right now is THE LITTLEST BIGFOOT series By Jennifer Weiner. This sweet trilogy explores themes of self-love, positive body image, and friendship between girls.
Us adult fans of #1 New York Times bestseller Jennifer Weiner’s adult books will be excited to know she now writes for children too! We just got books one and two of The Littlest Bigfoot series that are available now and we can’t put them down! Thankfully, the final book will be released in 2018 so we won’t have to wait too long. These are perfect for middle-grade readers aged 8 -12, so be sure to add them to your holiday shopping lists!
Here is a little about the first book, The Littlest Bigfoot:
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner comes a “smartly crafted” (BCCB) and “heartwarming” (School Library Journal) tale of friendship, furry creatures, and finding the place where you belong.
Alice Mayfair, twelve years old, slips through the world unseen and unnoticed. Ignored by her family and shipped off to her eighth boarding school, Alice would like a friend. And when she rescues Millie Maximus from drowning in a lake one day, she finds one.
But Millie is a Bigfoot, part of a clan who dwells deep in the woods. Most Bigfoots believe that people—NoFurs, as they call them—are dangerous, yet Millie is fascinated with the No-Fur world. She is convinced that humans will appreciate all the things about her that her Bigfoot tribe does not: her fearless nature, her lovely singing voice, and her desire to be a star.
Alice swears to protect Millie’s secret. But a league of Bigfoot hunters is on their trail, led by a lonely kid…
And here is a little about book #2 Little Bigfoot, Big City that was just released on October 31st, 2017:
Twelve-year-old Alice Mayfair has a secret. She’s not human. But who—or what—is she? While Alice goes in search of her past, her best friend Millie Maximus, a tiny Bigfoot with a big voice, prepares for her future. Together they plan to sneak off to New York City, where Millie hopes to audition for The Next Stage, the TV show she’s sure will rocket her to stardom and free her from the suffocating expectations of her tribe.
Meanwhile Jeremy Bigelow’s Bigfoot research has put him on the radar of a shadowy government organization led by a mysterious man named Trip Carruthers. The Bigfoots have something, a chemical so powerful and dangerous that the government will do anything to obtain it. And Jeremy is tasked with securing it once and for all.
In an unexpected twist of fate, Jeremy, Alice, and Millie find themselves facing off at a crossroads. But in order to determine where they’re going, they have to first figure out where they come from—and draw the line between what is good, what is evil, and what it means to be a hero.
You can see that there is so much strong adventure in these series and both girls are having so much fun reading them. I love that Ash is helping to create self-confidence in her sister by reading the books to her!
I love that your girls are not only sisters but friends too. I can’t believe how grown up Emmy is getting!
I love your way how to encourage your teens to be confident. Glad that you shared this.
truly the best gift you can give your kids. I like the idea of identifying the things they like about themselves. thanks for sharing.
I love tip #2. This is what I did with my own sons when they were growing up. Concrete examples of how they excel are better than general observations they cannot easily put into practice.
My favorite tip has to be the first one, build your own self confidence. My mother instilled that into me growing up because there are so many girls that have to have someone give it to them.
I love the Tip #1. Self-confidence is the most attractive quality a person can have.
Self-confidence is seriously one of the most important things for the individual! I think it’s a good quality you are teaching your daughter.
Thanks for the write-up. Totally love this! Shared to my friends too.
These books sound awesome! Great way to promote self confidence in girls.
Girls are so delicate so I really love the tips you’ve shared with helping them to build their confidence. I particularly like how you choose to use phrases that will help build them up.