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6 Free Self-Esteem Printable Worksheets for Kids

Use these free, printable worksheets to help your child recognize their unique qualities and celebrate their awesomeness!

kid and parent working on self esteem
Advice

Every parent dreams of raising children who grow up to be confident, well-adjusted adults. A key part of that journey is helping your littles ones build a strong foundation of self-esteem. But, as rewarding as it is, boosting your child’s confidence can sometimes be challenging–especially if they can be their own worst critic. The good news? There are simple, practical ways to help kids develop a healthy sense of self-worth.

With these expert tips, and free printable resources, you’ll be well on your way to helping your child grow into a confident, resilient adult who believes in their own potential.

Self-Esteem Worksheets for Kids

Create their very own self-esteem-boosting photo journal by compiling these worksheets in a photo book alongside pictures of them having fun and radiating confidence. Children feel a stronger sense of identity and confidence when viewing printed photos of themselves.

Have Your Kids Recall Three Good Things From Their Day

This is an easy way to introduce and practice gratitude with your little ones. Simply ask them to remember and list three things that made them happy or brightened their day. This form of gratitude journaling will help them think more positively and boost their confidence and mental health. 

The prompts make it easy for kids to think back on the day they’ve had and categorize their thoughts. After completing this exercise for a few days, try them without the prompts and see what they come up with. 

Download page one and page two of this worksheet.


Working on practicing gratefulness yourself? Here are 30 ‘Thank You’ Quotes for Express Gratitude.

Get Your Kids in the Habit of Writing Positive Things About Themselves

This is an easy, simple exercise for your kids to ponder and pull out the qualities they love about themselves. Similarly to the other free self-love printables for kids, this one only requires a few minutes each day. 

By having your children take the time to sit down with no distractions, think about their good qualities and write them down, you’re helping them think positively on their own, boosting their overall mental wellness. These prompts will help children reflect on and recognize their positive traits.


Download page one, two, three and four of this worksheet.

Help Your Kids Identify Their Safe Spaces

What is a safe space? A safe space is a space where you can fully express yourself safe from any judgment or criticism. A safe space for your kid can be a person, place, or an activity they love doing. A safe space is full of acceptance and is there for you no matter if you’re feeling happy or sad, talkative or quiet–it’s a reliable space for you to feel comfortable coming exactly as you are. 

Why are identifying safe spaces important for your child? They help to identify coping skills, strengths, and support. A safe space can look like “playing soccer” or “my playroom.” 

Download this worksheet.

Help Your Kids Identify Their Strengths with a Sentence Completion Exercise

Just like adults, kids can often sell themselves short on their personal strengths and can often focus on the negative. By having them remind themselves of things they’re good at, or positive personality qualities you’re helping them boost their mental wellness. 

Try helping your little one complete these sentences by giving them praise and reminding them of things they’ve done well if they have trouble remembering for themselves. It’ll be a healing experience for both of you. 

Download this worksheet.

Have Fun with These Picture Prompts

Use this as a blank canvas, literally, to have your kids craft and color their interpretations of the prompt. It can be a fun project for you to enjoy too! You and your children can complete these multiple times by creating all-new prompts. You’ll be surprised at just how therapeutic sketching out your feelings can be.

Download this worksheet.

Have Them Describe Themselves with an “About Me” Worksheet

This is a great exercise to start with as it really helps get their little minds going and helps them to open up better in future exercises. Let them have fun filling in the blanks and describing how they see themselves.

Download page one and two of this worksheet.

Why Good Self-Esteem is Important

When children believe in their abilities and feel good about who they are, they’re more likely to:

  • Try new things
  • Handle challenges with resilience
  • Bounce back from setbacks
  • Have strong social skills
  • Good academic performance 

Kids with healthy self-esteem tend to be more optimistic, comfortable in their own skin, and capable of handling the ups and downs of growing up.

Unfortunately, good self-esteem doesn’t come naturally for most children (for new moms, either!). Factors like bullying and struggling with feeling different from their peers can contribute to a negative self-perception. And when children face pressure to succeed or conform, they may become too hard on themselves, believing they’re not "good enough." 

This is why it’s important to provide them with support, encouragement, and positive reinforcement to help build their self-confidence and foster a healthy sense of self-worth.

Tips for Boosting Your Child’s Self-Esteem
Praise Efforts, Not Just Results.

Encourage your child by acknowledging their hard work and perseverance rather than focusing solely on the outcome. This teaches them to value effort.

Encourage Problem-Solving on Their Own

Help children build confidence by allowing them to tackle challenges on their own and guiding them to find solutions.

Set Realistic Expectations

Support your child by setting achievable goals and letting them experience success, which boosts their confidence.

Teach Resilience

Encourage your child to see mistakes as learning opportunities. Explain that setbacks are part of the process and not reflections of their worth. Share some mistakes you’ve made to help your child relate.

Promote Positive Self-Talk

Help your child reroute their negative thoughts with positive affirmations. Guide them in recognizing their strengths and accomplishments. You can do this with exercises or just by slipping it into day-to-day conversations.

Checkout these Quotes That Inspire Hope to guide them in the right direction.

Foster Independence

Allow your child to make age-appropriate decisions and take responsibility for their actions. Independence reinforces their belief in their abilities. Have your kids take on a few chores around the house and reward them with a dinner of their choice or a new toy.

Is your kid struggling to enjoy being on their own at school? Explore these Inspirational Quotes for Kids about School.

Show Unconditional Love

Make sure your child knows they are loved and valued, no matter what. This provides the emotional foundation they need to feel confident.

Model Confidence

Be a role model for your child by displaying confidence in your own actions. Children are little mirrors and often learn from the behaviors they observe.

Celebrate Uniqueness

Emphasize that everyone is different and special in their own way. Encourage your child to embrace their individuality instead of fearing it.

Encourage Participation in Activities

Get your child involved in activities or hobbies they enjoy. Success in areas of interest helps them feel capable and confident.

For fun activities around the house, here are Fun Family Tradition Ideas.

Let Photo Journals Be Your Secret Weapon to Boosting Your Child’s Self-Esteem

Mix and match various art pieces, photo prints, and even objects like plates or woven baskets to create a personalized gallery wall.

Viewing printed photos helps children feel more connected to their families, fosters a stronger sense of self, and enhances their imagination. These tangible memories spark storytelling and reminiscing about shared experiences.

By creating a photo book filled with your child's favorite images and including pages with simple self-esteem-boosting prompts, you’ll have crafted an engaging gratitude journal that they’ll love and learn from. For a more hands-on experience, consider making a gratitude scrapbook together, incorporating decorated photo prints along with affirmations and positive prompts.

Children are like sponges, absorbing everything around them—both the good and the bad. By ensuring they soak up uplifting messages about their worth, strengths, and uniqueness, you lay a crucial foundation for their confidence, setting them up for future success—and what could be better than that?

Related Products: Kids Monthly Mini Photo Books, Monthbooks, Gift a Photo Book Subscription, Family Photo Books, Baby Photo Books

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