Self Esteem Activities for Teens

According to Jane Bolton of Psychology Today, the most powerful tool teens have for improving self esteem is themselves. Self esteem activities for teens can help reshape the way they think, and boost self image.

But, before getting started, it helps to have behavioral and writing activities to get teens moving in the right direction.

 

Behavioral Activities

According to Good Character, building self esteem steams from behaviors. Have teens make a list of people that make them feel good about themselves, and ask teens to spend more time with those people.

Teens should also make a list of activities that make them feel good about themselves, and spend more time on those tasks. Part of building self esteem is personal growth. They should also focus on trying a couple new activities. Mastering those tasks will build self esteem and improve the teen’s self worth. Goal setting is also important to improving self worth. Have teens make a list of weekly goals. Then, each week, discuss the teen’s success in meeting those goals.

 

Writing Activities

Have teens write a brief essay discussing negative thoughts that affect their self esteem. Discuss how to stop “negative self talk.” For example, a teen might think “I’m so uncoordinated;I could never succeed at sports.”

Instead, train the teen to recognize the negative self talk, and redirect to a statement like, “with some practice, I bet I could be excellent at playing soccer.” Then, have the teen set measurable goals to achieve success.

 

Breaking the “Perfect” Myth

According to KidsHealth.org, it’s important to focus on accomplishments instead of being perfect. Aiming towards perfection can paralyze teens into thinking everything is impossible.

Challenge teens to write down the name of a person they think is perfect. Then, ask the teen to research a couple reasons why this person isn’t perfect. For example, Albert Einstein was a genius, but not a fantastic speller.

 

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