Self Esteem Facts + Bonus Prompts

Self Esteem Facts You Need to Know + 10 Bonus Self-esteem Writing Prompts—

A child with a positive sense of self-esteem feels good about who they are and the decisions they make. Unfortunately, far too many kids of all ages and stages suffer from low self-esteem. A child with low self-esteem is more likely to have a negative sense of self and therefore can make destructive decisions based on that perception.

Parents and teachers need to be aware of the signs and symptoms of low self-esteem.

The following self-esteem facts can help people who interact with children on a regular basis understand self-esteem and the factors that influence an individual’s sense of self-esteem.

5 Self-Esteem Facts About Kids You Need to Know

1. Self-esteem is largely tied to a child’s perception of their appearance. Among high school students, 44 percent of girls and 15 percent of boys feel that they need to lose weight in order to look better. This implies that many high school students have low self-esteem as a result of body image issues.
2. About 20 percent of teenagers will experience symptoms of depression before they graduate from high school. High school students are facing incredible pressures, and low self-esteem can increase their risk for depression and anxiety.
3. Boys and girls with low self-esteem are more likely to make poor choices. For example, 75 percent of girls with low self-esteem reported that they were more likely to drink, smoke or bully other kids at school. Girls with higher self-esteem were less likely to engage in these destructive activities.
4. Recent research indicates that social media is having a negative impact on self-esteem for boys and girls of all ages. According to the survey, Instagram has the most detrimental impact on an individual’s sense of self-esteem, and many young people prefer to participate on a social platform where they can doctor the images of themselves in order to improve the way they look online.
5. Cyber-bullying has increased significantly in the last several decades, particularly as young people have taken to social media in order to stay connected with their friends. In fact, 37 percent of young adults report that they are cyber-bullied frequently. There is no doubt that persistent and frequent cyber-bullying can have a lasting impact on a child’s self-esteem.

These self-esteem facts about kids are alarming and should cause both parents and teachers to pause. By having a better understanding of what influences a child’s self-esteem, adults can work to create a positive environment for the children in their lives that allow them to develop a positive sense of self.

Self-Esteem Writing Ideas for Kids

Many children struggle with self-esteem because they do not know how to adequately express themselves. Teaching children to write as a form of self-expression can help them significantly boost their self-esteem.

Parents and teachers who are concerned about self-esteem facts can use these self-esteem writing ideas to help children feel positive about who they are and who they want to become.

10 Self-Esteem Writing Ideas

1. Describe the way that you look when you look in the mirror. What do you like best about yourself? Why?
2. Think about all of the times that you say “I can’t” throughout the day. Rather than think about what you cannot do, you should focus on what you can do. Write a list of 10 things that you can do very well.
3. Write about a time when you felt most confident. Why did you feel confident in that situation? How can use that confidence during other moments when you feel less sure of yourself?
4. What is one thing that you can do to help your community? Why do you want to contribute in that way? 
5. Describe the last time you did something nice and unexpected for a close friend or family member. How did it make you feel? 
   
6. As the old saying goes, beauty lies within. How are you beautiful on the inside? 
7. What is one thing that most people do not know about you? Why do you choose to keep this a secret? Write a plan for how you can share the best side of yourself to everyone you know.
8. What is the greatest challenge that you have faced in the last year? What did you do to overcome that challenge? How did you feel when you were successful? 
9. Imagine that your best friend was feeling down and was lacking confidence. What could you do to help build your friend up? 
10. Think about all of the accomplishments you have made in your life so far. Which accomplishment are you most proud of? Why?

For children of all ages, a journal can be a safe place where they can jot down their thoughts and sort through their emotions. When they write their words down on the page, they can feel confident knowing that they have the privacy and security they need to process their feelings.

These self-esteem writing ideas can help both parents and educators empower children with the tools they need to build their own confidence. Journaling on a regular basis may help increase their self-esteem and boost their confidence. They will know that they should always keep on writing in order to feel great about themselves!

Related Links & Resources

• 40 Confidence and Self Esteem Writing Prompts
• Self Esteem Quiz
• Self Esteem: Facts and Stats

Until next time, write on…

If you enjoyed these Self Esteem Facts,
please share them on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Pinterest.
I appreciate it!

Sincerely,
Jill
journalbuddies.com
creator and curator

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The following article was published on our blog on September, 2010 and may still be of interest to our readers today.

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Girls Self Esteem Facts | Six Alarming Facts You Need to Know 

A recent study reveals some shocking statistics about self-esteem in girls you need to know and understand.

Read these facts, digest them, process them, and then… do something to build and strengthen the self-esteem of your precious girl.  By doing so you’ll help empower her and enable her to make better choices and live a happier more fulfilling life.

Fact #1 — A whopping 75% of girls with low self-esteem “reported engaging in negative and potentially harmful activities, such as disordered eating, cutting, bullying, smoking or drinking, when feeling bad about themselves” (Real Girls, Real Pressure: A National Report on
the State of Self-Esteem, June 2008)

But that’s not all.  Keep reading!

Fact #2 — By high school, only 29% of girls report that they are happy the way there are. This means that a whopping 71% of high school girls are not happy with themselves!

Fact #3 — One-third of all girls in grades nine to 12 think they are overweight, and 60 % are trying to lose weight.

Fact #4 — Only 56% of seventh graders say they like the way they look.

There’s even more bad news.

Fact #5 — Girls question their own beauty: between 50 and 70 % of girls of normal weight believe they are overweight.

Fact #6 — Children with low self-esteem are 1.6 times more likely to meet the criteria for drug dependence than other children.

From these shocking statistics about self esteem in girls, you can see that it is imperative to take daily action to help girls improve and strengthen their sense of self-esteem.

I know that you’ll agree that building a healthy sense of self-esteem in girls is key to a happy life and to greater chances of a successful life as an adult.

You Can Do Something & Make a Difference with a Powerful Activity that Improves Girls’ Self-Esteem

One of the simplest and most powerful ways to build self-esteem in a girl is to tell her exactly what it is about her that makes her so incredible and amazing!

Sounds simple, right?  Well, it is.  But more importantly,  it is effective.

Imagine that you make a specific effort to point out a special talent, character trait or quality you really admire about her.

After you’ve pointed out exactly what it is that makes your special girl so magnificent, simply ensure that she has fully absorbed what you’ve told her.

The key is that you stick with this self-esteem building activity until you both know and feel these words deep within. Go back and read that key again!

Let this advice sink in deeply. Let the awesome power of this one self-esteem building action settle deep within your mind and heart.

Create a Lasting and Powerful Self-Esteem Experience for Your Special Girl

You do know that building a child’s self-esteem requires time, right?

There is simply no more effective way to improve your child’s sense of self esteem other than spending quality, meaningful time together.

FACT! Sharing with your daughter the qualities, traits, and talents you know she possesses that are magnificent affords her a lasting and powerful self-esteem building experience that can last a lifetime.

• Girls Journal Buddies Sample

Creating a journal together creates a cherished self-esteem building keepsake that may be reflected upon – time and again – by both you and your special girl.

With Journal Buddies, you take the simple and fun self-esteem building activity of sharing what you admire and love about your girl and you make the time to formalize it once a day for 30 days in a journal.

Shared, Creative Journaling

The Journal Buddies experience is all about self-expression coupled with focusing on and celebrating the positives while completing a guided, creative journal together with your special girl! I know you’ll agree that shared, creative journaling sounds like a great self-esteem strengthening and improving activity for you and your precious child.

Self-esteem building and journaling have never been this much fun.

But don’t take my word for it.  Here’s just some of what others are saying about Journal Buddies:

“Fabulous!”

~ Amy Donnan

“I could not more
highly recommend Journal Buddies. “

~ Darcy Volden Hoag

“Journal Buddies is all about making the good things in life bigger”
~ Jim Barnes

Read more rave reviews of Journal Buddies here.

Journal Buddies is a fun, creative and down-right enjoyable activity to share with your special child. You’re going to love this self-esteem tool and so will your daughter.