confidence: 4 Articles

Build Confidence with Books

body image October 20, 2022 10:00 am

October 20th is National Youth Confidence Day. Helping kids develop a sense of confidence and resilience is a big task for parents and caregivers. The American Psychological Association has books for children and teens that explore confidence, self-esteem, and resilience Here are some of our recent titles: Big Bold Beautiful Me: A Story That’s Loud Proud and Celebrates You! by Jane Yolen and Maddison Stemple-Piatt Big Bold Beautiful Me is a delightful announcement of self-love, self-appreciation, self-acceptance, and self-comfort, and being 100% proud of who you are and your shape. Check out the book. “Children celebrate their abundant bodies, from their hair to their feet…As each child repeats the celebratory refrain, Burgett’s cheerful illustrations portray them alongside kids from previous spreads, emphasizing connection and belonging… An upbeat, uncomplicated ode to bodies that are big, thick, broad, and boundless.”—Kirkus Reviews Brilliant Bea by Shaina Rudolph and Mary Vukadinovich Brilliant Bea is an endearing and empowering story that demonstrates that a learning difference like dyslexia doesn’t define who you are. Check out the book. “The teacher’s supportive actions are wonderful to see, but even better is how the tape recorder helps Bea connect with her classmates. Printed in a dyslexia-friendly font, this affirming story about finding your feet and your voice is a lovely confidence booster for young readers, especially those who may learn differently.” —Booklist Hear the story read aloud. Read an excerpt from the Reader's Note. You Can't Please Everyone! by Ellen Flanagan Burns Ellie feels like she is disappointing people if she says “no.” With help from her parents and her teacher, Ellie finds the strength to be honest with people and do the right thing for herself by learning how to say “no.” Check out the book. Read an excerpt from the introduction. Like Ability: The Truth About Popularity by Lori Getz, MA and Mitchell J. Prinstein, PhD Like Ability is a practical, insightful guide for teens about popularity: what it is, why some kinds are healthier than others, and how teens can grow their social intelligence and develop the confidence they need to feel more connected to their family, peers, and community. Check out the book. Read an excerpt from Like Ability. The Kid Confident books are part of a new nonfiction book series developed with expert psychologist and series editor, Bonnie Zucker, PsyD, that authentically captures the middle school experience. These books skillfully guide middle schoolers through those tricky years between elementary and high school with a supporting voice of a trusted big sister or a favorite aunt, stealthily offering life lessons and evidence-based coping skills. Kid Confident: How To Manage Your SOCIAL POWER In Middle School (Book #1) by Bonnie Zucker, PsyD Kid Confident (Book #1) discusses dynamic of social power, equal and unequal, in the context of friendships and with unfriendly peers. Readers learn how to be more assertive and how to create more self-confidence and balance the power in their friend groups. Check out

Build Confidence with Books Eileen Hanning 2022-10-19T18:49:07-04:00

Build Your Library: Nurturing Your Gifts

Uncategorized August 27, 2020 12:05 pm

Everyone has different gifts and abilities. Recognizing and nurturing one's gifts helps build confidence and a positive self-image. As kids get ready to head back to school, whether in person or online, they may be questioning their "smarts." These books, from Magination Press's Build Your Library Collection, can help you support your child as they explore and develop their gifts and sense of self. Being Me: A Kid's Guide to Boosting Confidence and Self-Esteem by Wendy L. Moss, PhD explores confidence and provides tips and advice to build it. It also provides tools to explore strengths and feel more confident in school or with friends. Fantastic You! by Danielle Dufayet celebrates individuality and encourages children to practice self-care, including positive self-talk and self-compassion. Hear Ms. Dufayet read Fantastic You! aloud here. I Want Your Moo: A Story for Children About Self-Esteem by Marcella Bakur Weiner, EdD, PhD, and Jill Neimark explores how it feels to not like yourself and how empowering it can be to embrace your uniqueness in a fun, rhyming picture book. Neon Words: 10 Brilliant Ways to Light Up Your Writing by Marge Pellegrino and Kay Sather provides writing prompts and activities to connect the word-organizing part of the brain to the free-ranging imagination. Playing with words can boost confidence and help you be more present in life. Print out sample pages from Neon Words here. So Many Smarts by Michael Genhart, PhD explores and celebrates all kinds of smarts—nature smarts, people smarts, music smarts, spatial smarts, and more. Hear Dr. Genhart read So Many Smarts! aloud here. Through October 31, 2020, get 25% off your purchase and free shipping when you order books directly from Magination Press through APA.org. Click here to books and use code FF25 at checkout.

Build Your Library: Nurturing Your Gifts Eileen Hanning 2020-08-27T12:14:07-04:00

Making Your Own Luck

Uncategorized July 23, 2020 10:00 am By Jo Rooks

Belief in luck and superstition has been a part of every different culture, the world over. But can belief in luck or superstition be something we should encourage in our children? In my story, Layla’s Luck, Layla is a ladybug who is a great believer in all things lucky. She is always keen to attribute her ‘lucky’ objects to her every success and achievement, but she doesn’t consider claiming any of the credit for herself. When there is a ‘Cake Bake’ in the garden and she doesn’t know how to bake a cake, she believes there is only one thing to do: rely on her luck! Without a recipe or weighing her ingredients, the resulting cake is one big disaster! Layla’s belief in luck has meant that she didn’t take any responsibility for the results of her actions either good or bad. When things went well, she gave praise to her luck rather than her hard work and effort; and when things went badly, she regarded her luck to have ‘run out’ and didn’t realize that her lack of practice or research had led her to a failure. Studies have shown that girls, in particular, are less likely to attribute their successes to personal effort compared to boys, suggesting things like, ‘it was just down to a lucky break’ or ‘luck was on my side that time’. Studies show how boys tend to enjoy their successes more and outwardly, and take pride in their personal achievements much more. The reasons for this difference in behavior is uncertain. Whatever the reason, it is important to recognize this as a parent and allow kids to grow up being able to recognize their own smarts with confidence, and to understand if their efforts led to a success. It’s great to show how hard work and practice pay off. Having a balanced approach to luck and superstition is probably the best way to be. Being open minded to a positive outcome is a great attitude to encourage in our children. Hard work and effort should always be commended and applauded no matter what the outcome. We should foster the mindset that the journey is of as much importance as the destination. Even when we fail at something, we learn important lessons in the process that can lead to success in the future. Help kids manage disappointment by talking about how some factors will always be out of our control and will sometimes cause situations to turn out badly, but hard work and effort help people control the factors they can. However, research also shows how superstition and using a ‘lucky’ object can often lead to a better performance, especially in sport. This is because it is said to boost confidence and calm anxiety. So, maybe wearing that lucky pair of socks for the football finals could be a good call after all! Just be sure to practice too, and don’t take the socks too seriously! Layla's Luck is part of the Once Upon

Making Your Own Luck Jo Rooks 2020-07-21T10:47:54-04:00

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