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9/16/2013

Positive Self-Esteem Makes Girls Unstoppable [Self-Esteem Building Activites for Girls]


I have two daughters. They are both talented and beautiful. They both have a great sense of humor, are good friends, and are very loving. Both girls are smart, love to read, and love art. My youngest daughter is five. Five is a magical age where she goes into the world believing she is smart and beautiful and funny because her parents have told her she is all of those things.



My oldest daughter is turning 10 and that magic is starting to wear off. She is still smart and beautiful and funny, just as she always has been, but our opinion on the matter is no longer the only one that counts. She now takes what her father and I have told her and adds it to the pot of what her friends have said what she has seen on TV and read in magazines, and what she feels like when she looks in the mirror in the morning. It is my goal to make sure I fill that pot with as many positives as possible, and I am always looking for new ways to make that happen.

Dove® has publicly committed to reach 15 million girls with self-esteem building programs by 2015, and as part of that campaign they have created a downloadable Self Esteem toolkit which is full of meaningful activities you can complete with a girl in your life. These activities encourage girls to embrace their unique beauty with workshops, guides, activities, and videos.

There are a lot of great activities that would be easy to implement on a daily basis. One such activity, Mutual Complimenting, is done by sharing five things you like about one another and five things you each like about yourself. When my two oldest kids were young, we used to do something similar every night at bedtime. I would cuddle in bed with them and we would use our fingers to count off things we loved about each other. This is a nighttime ritual I need to bring back.

Another idea I love is letting the girl in your life teach you a new skill. It could be as easy as letting your teenager teach you how to use your new phone! A few summers ago, my daughter took a cooking class and loved showing us how to make each of the recipes she brought home. There are a few that we still make all of the time, and she is proud of the fact that she is the one that introduced us to those foods.



This week, my daughter and I created a Boost Book together. We decorated a sketchpad to fill with things that will boost her self-esteem anytime she needs it--things like inspiring quotes and the positive comments other people have made about her. I have been saving notes and cards for years that have sweet thoughts written by others about her, so this was a great way to make them useful for her. She enjoyed creating the book, and it made us both happy to read all of the nice things that people have said about her. There are still blank pages left in the book, which will be a good excuse to get it out and add to it whenever she needs a little boost!

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could always see ourselves the way people who love us see us? If you have a young girl in your life, head over and download a copy of Dove's Self Esteem Tool Kit now and start making that dream a little bit more of a possibility!

4 comments:

Lizzy Mac said...

Great post! I too have two daughters- Ages 5 and 3. I am terrified of the years that await me where I will have to show them how to battle deception regarding their worth and beauty. I am thankful for God's grace as we make that journey!

I love what Dove has been doing for this cause. Thanks for posting!

Alison L said...

I love the Boost Book! And counting things you love about each other on your fingers before bed. Great ideas, my friend. :) Thank you for sharing!!

Katie said...

Boost book! What a wonderful idea! AND PS They are just beyond adorable!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this wonderful post! I went right to the Dove website and looked at their program. It is fantastic and I will start using their ideas with my lovely, 11 year old daughter.