Tips to Boost your Child’s Morale without Over-Pampering Them

Parents love their children so dearly that they can do anything and everything to see them happy. When they see them sad, they go out of their way to pamper them. Whether it’s buying them their favourite treat or giving them some extra screen time, there are various ways in which parents pamper their kids. There may be instances when your child’s morale is low. This particularly happens during their summer vacation when they find it difficult to understand why they can’t see their school friends for an extended period of time. This can lead to boredom. Only so that their morale doesn’t dip to an all-time low, there are various ways by which you can keep them occupied.

However, in the quest of keeping them occupied, it’s important that we don’t end up spoiling or over-pampering them.

An important parenting tip is knowing the difference between loving and pampering your kids.

Giving your child a hug, telling them that you love them, spending time with them or appreciating them isn’t pampering. Doing all this just makes your child feel safe and secure. When you treat your child with excessive indulgence and care by giving into their demands, and buying them things on a consistent basis, you are pampering and spoiling your child.

Ways to Boost Kid’s Morale at Home

• Give them a chance to help

Most parents want their kids to have it easy. From cleaning their room to getting their bag ready for school, they do it all. Honestly, if you want to boost their self-esteem, you need to involve them in everyday chores. Encourage cooperation not competition. However, ensure that the chores you’re giving them are age-appropriate. Introduce a weekly cleaning hour. This will help children learn important life skills and boost their overall morale. Besides household chores, you can even take their help to raise your new-born baby. Doing this can significantly improve the sibling bond and will not lead to rivalry in the future.

• Organise play dates

When their vacations are on, they are generally away from their peers. There may be days when they might feel low. A sure-shot formula to boost their morale is calling their friend(s) over for a play date. Seek approval of their parents and ask if they could send their child over for a few hours. Make it a fun time by organising activities and games for your child and their friends. By doing this, you can inculcate basic social skills in your child. This is also a great way to maintain friendships.

• Play board games

Board games help with child improvement. As a family or unit, you must aim to play at least one board-game with your child on a daily basis. This can considerably boost their morale. Weekends are the best time to pull out those classic games. This also ensures they are not hooked on to their screens the whole time. Ludo, Snakes and Ladders and Monopoly are a few games that are still loved by kids. Playing games regularly makes them more competitive.

• Prepare a meal together

Believe it or not, children love helping around in the kitchen. Morale is higher when everyone feels connected. May be on the weekend, the entire family can cook a meal together. Make sure everybody has a role to play. You can assign the easiest task to your child. However, make sure you source all the ingredients beforehand. It might take longer than you expect for the meal to be made.

• Exercise

Exercise releases these happy chemicals called endorphins. When you’re looking to boost the morale of your child, moderate exercise and sports goes a long way. When you get your kids moving, they will end up feeling calmer and more relaxed. Kids yoga, obstacle race and hopscotch are a few activities you can consider. If you have a park or garden close by, you can even take them there for an evening stroll. Usually, community parks have an arena for kids to play.

• Praise and reward them

Childhood is such a phase wherein kids might develop feelings of self-doubt. Let your child know that you love them for who they are. Speak to them often and tell them that each one is blessed with unique talents and capabilities. If they succeed in a particular task, appreciate them by rewarding them. A motivational sticker or a cookie once in a while is a good idea. Don’t make this a habit as they might get used to it.

• Focus on serving the community

Sometimes, the best way to boost your child’s morale is by shifting your focus to another person or community. Identify a cause that you, your partner and child are passionate about. It can be anything such as a food drive, donation exercise, charity or fundraiser. This will not just boost child morale but family morale. Serving the needy is also a great way to rediscover yourself.

• Be a positive role model

Lastly, as a parent, you need to be a positive role model. Children often learn by examples. Even when they are older teens, they learn by watching you. Thus, in order to improve your child’s morale, you need to improve yours first. Strive to create a safe nurturing home environment. If a child is constantly exposed to a negative home environment and sees the parents quarrelling, they will become depressed and withdrawn.

Conclusion

Use the above parenting tips to boost your child’s morale and well-being. Morale doesn’t just have to do with better mental health but the child also tends to have stronger immunity levels and falls sick less often. Even if you and your partner are working, make it a point to give your little ample time. Kids don’t ask for much. They only want love, affection and appreciation.

Do you have any tips you have used to boost your child’s morale? Let us know in the comments section below.