What is confidence?  This is an important question to consider before we start to teach our children. The answer will help you discover the right way to instill this valuable trait.  Dusty, the main character in Disney Planes displays a great example of the confidence I want to instill in my children.

For our family, confidence is NOT thinking highly of ourselves. It’s NOT thinking that we can do anything we want. Confidence is being sure of our beliefs and knowing our abilities, our strengths and weaknesses.

We start teaching our children confidence at a very young age. Our son is 2-years-old and each day brings new opportunities to help cultivate character.

I Can’t Do It

How many times has your child said this phrase?  Sometimes I let my children say it.  I let them struggle, get frustrated and work out a problem on their own without intervening.  Overcoming that I-Can’t-Do-It situation on their own can quickly build confidence.

In Disney Planes, Dusty exemplifies this struggle principal.  He doesn’t give up and keeps going even when thing start getting really tough.

Now I don’t do this for everything.  There are some things that they just can’t do because of their physical and mental restrictions.  This is also an essential part of confidence.  There are things that we will never be able to do and it wouldn’t be wise of us to struggle through it or even attempt to do it.  For example, I know that I will never be a professional basketball player, and most likely, my children won’t either.  We are just short people.

Part of having confidence is knowing our limits and that it’s wise to say “I can’t do it” or ask for help sometimes.  Again, Dusty knows when he can’t go on or needs some extra help from his friends.

Standing Your Ground

What you believe defines who you are.  If you believe that there is a fire in the room, you will act based on that belief.  If I started yelling that there was a fire, when you could see that their wasn’t one, you would also act based on your belief even though it was contrary to what I was saying.  You would stand your ground.

One thing that my children haven’t experienced yet is defending their beliefs.  This skill is part of my definition of confidence, so how do I start to cultivate this in my children when they don’t experience it?

I educate and make them practice.  We explain what is right and wrong to our children and help them remember through discipline and roll play.  Having clear consequences for their wrong actions does more to instill beliefs than anything else I can do.  After that, we sometimes describe situations and ask them what the right thing to do is.

This is my favorite thing in the #PlanestotheRescue Movie.  No matter what other people are doing, Dusty stands up for what he believes is right.  He puts other people ahead of his own well being and isn’t afraid of being ridiculed for it.

That’s how I want my son to act, but I know it will take a lot of work.  So I start with the little things at 2-years-old like sharing his favorite new Planes toy that we got at Walmart or putting on his shoes by himself, climbing some rocks…

falling down…

and getting back up to try again.

Make sure you check out Disney’s Planes Fire & Rescue in theaters July 18th!

The post Disney Planes: Inspiring Confidence in Young Children first appeared on True Aim.

I came downstairs to the sound of someone running.  Dumbfounded by the sight, I stood at the bottom of the stair watching for a moment.  My eldest daughter was running back and forth from the living room to our family room, full bore.

After a couple minutes I finally asked her what she was up to.  “I’m practicing so I can be faster than the kids at church.”  she said panting.

“Sweetie, they’re faster than you because they’re older.”  I explained.

“That’s why I have to practice Mom.  I’ll practice everyday and then when I’m 7 (she’s 6), I’ll be faster.”

Although I usually discourage running in the house, it was raining that day.  What kind of Mom would I be if I interrupted such determination?  I couldn’t help but be proud of her confidence.

As a Mom of two girls, I’m always looking for positive ways to build up their self-confidence and character.  In a world where women are constantly pushed to focus on their looks, I want to encourage my daughters to value inner beauty first and appearances loosely.

While building confidence in young girls is easy to do.  The right type of confidence is harder to instill.  It’s an easy thing to tell my daughters they are beautiful, but what they really need to hear and experience is that they have purpose and meaning more valuable than anything in this world.

To do that, we expose them to challenges and new tasks that aren’t easy, letting them struggle and feel accomplishment when they finally finish.  We try to give them real responsibility, and have them work hard for a goal.  We let them dream and help them make those dreams become a reality.  But most importantly, we communicate our love for them no matter the outcome of their efforts.

That’s why I’m so excited to announce that with a shared vision of unleashing confidence through accomplishment, LEGO® Friends has teamed up with Girls on the Run® (GOTR), a physical activity-based positive youth development program to inspire girls everywhere to achieve their limitless potential.

LEGO® is our favorite toy by far.  So when the new LEGO® Friends line came out our girls were ecstatic.  LEGO® Friends blend the iconic LEGO construction experience with stories, settings and themes designed to meet my children’s desire for creativity and a highly-detailed, character-based world.  My daughters definitely relate better to these LEGOS® and so they play with them even more than before.

Since its launch in 2012, LEGO® Friends have dramatically increased the number of girls everywhere building with LEGO bricks and enjoying the benefits of construction play.

That’s important because construction play allows children to be creative in a way that combines logic and reasoning with playfulness and imagination.  This type of play helps them grasp the importance of persistence as they develop a sense of pride for their completed model or their own creation.

But that’s not all my girls learn when they play with their LEGO® Friends sets especially if they collaborate.

Since Audrey is the oldest, when she works on building a set with her little sister Emma, she becomes a leader and director.  If she’s too bossy, Emma won’t want to cooperate.  If she encourages, Emma feels good about herself and Audrey’s position as a leader.  As they work and play together, a special bond forms that is invaluable.

Sharing, taking turns, and complementing each other are things my daughters learn when they play with LEGOS®.  Sure, they could play other things and learn the same thing, but LEGO® enhances their spatial visualization skills all at the same time.  And nothing is quite like building your own little world.

My daughters seem to carry a lot of their day-to-day routines into their play.  This is awesome to see as a parent because I know the healthy habits I’m working to instill are actually getting through!

As they built their new LEGO® Friends set, I asked them if they could own and run their own business what would it be?  Audrey wanted to own a dress shop and Emma thought a candy store would be sweet.  Both of those choices fit them perfectly and I can’t wait to encourage them to go after it!

I love inquiring about all their creations and watching them unravel a story with their LEGO® figures.  There is something so satisfying about getting to know the imagination of your child.

It’s like getting to glimpse into their soul.

What do your children like to build with their LEGOS®?  Do you have any tips on building confidence in children?  I’d love to hear about it!

Thanks for reading!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

The post Building Confidence in Girls Through Play #LEGOFriendsCGC first appeared on True Aim.