Being self aware means that you are conscious of what you are doing and how it affects your life, in other words you understand that if you do a certain thing you will get a certain result. As adults we know that this is not always easy to and that we usually have to work hard to remember to do it. If you teach your children to grow up self aware you are giving them vital tools to build the life of their dreams. They will be able to understand who they are, what their skills, weakness and strengths are and how their behaviour affects others and their selves.
They will also be able to;
•Self motivate
•Improve social skills
•Set goals and work towards them
•Show empathy towards others
•Manage their feelings appropriately
•Solve problems
•Keep themselves safe
•Stay healthy
•Find out what they enjoy doing
•Understand the consequences of their actions
I am sure you agree that the benefits are huge.
Here are 5 steps to help you teach your child to become self aware.
1.Have some quiet time.
You need to give your child some peace and quiet if they are to become self aware because it is then that they can stop thinking about everything that is around them and just listen to their own thoughts and feelings.
Having no music, TV, computers or other distractions and activities will benefit even very small children because it is then that they listen to every day sounds and really get to know there environment, which also helps them with their speech and language skills. So turn off the everyday distractions and enjoy some quiet time each day.
2.Be a good role model.
If you practise being self aware yourself then it is going to be very likely that your children will follow you naturally as you pass it on.
3.Coach and guide them.
By coaching and guiding your child to be self aware constantly and routinely, it will become second nature and a habit.
4.Help them to be reflective
When your child has done something positive or negative you can help them to reflect on what they have done to help them to see the consequences of their actions. For example asking them, “How did that make you feel?” Or, “What went well when you did that?” “What could you do differently to get a better result?” “What did you learn?”
5.Use positive parenting techniques.
Positive parenting techniques encourage children to think about what they are doing. If you are just dictating and telling your children what to do all they will learn to do as they are told without questioning. On the other hand if you have taught them to reason and think for them selves you will find that they will be self directing and think and plan ahead for themselves instead of waiting to be told what to do.
Doing these 5 things consistently everyday means that you will most definitely be successful in teaching your children to be self aware and give them a great start in life.
Author Resource:
I am a Child Behaviour Consultant and Author, with 30 years experience of working with children. I have an honours Psychology degree and I am the founder of Child Behaviour Direct. http://www.ChildBehaviourDirect.com