Building self-esteem
Do you want to boost your child’s self-esteem? Use our practical articles and activities to help your daughter or son develop a positive body image, and worry less about how their looks compare with others.
Young people change enormously during adolescence, and sometimes their self-esteem suffers. As a parent, you want to help your child feel good about themselves, and having positive conversations about appearance is an important part of that.
You need to be tuned in to your child's changing needs, and help them develop an empowered attitude to their looks. You can also raise their confidence by discouraging them from comparing themselves with others, whether friends, classmates or people in the media.
Focusing on who they are as a person, and their relationships with family and friends, will reduce negative body talk. We’ve compiled these articles and activities to help your child make that shift – and to give you some ideas on how to support them.
So start reading and sharing today – and help boost your child's confidence.
What would you like to learn more about?
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![Uniquely Me resources for parents]()
talking topics
role models
body confidence
looks and appearance
self-esteem
8 to 16 years
A tool to build positive body confidence in your childStart here, use our parent’s resource Confidence Kit to boost your child's self-esteem.As a parent, it’s natural to want the best for your child – for them to be happy, healthy and confident individuals.
But that’s sometimes easier said than done, especially during the teen and pre-teen years when their bodies are changing, their self-confidence is fragile and they are trying to make that tricky transition out of childhood.
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social media safety
self comparison
looks and appearance
self-esteem
parent
11 to 16 years
Why is social media important to young people?Why is social networking so important to young people? Explore the positive and negative effects of social media, and why it can cause loss of self-esteemArguably the biggest difference between our own teenage years and those of our children, social media is here to stay. So how do we help our young people use it in a positive way?
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positive talk
talking topics
female stereotypes
role models
body image
looks and appearance
self-esteem
psychology
behaviour change
parent
8 to 16 years
Body talk: the power of words for a positive body imageDo you often make negative comments about your weight or appearance? What's the impact on your child? Find out how to fight fat talk and build self-esteem.Talking about our bodies is like an unwritten rule in female friendship – many of us do it constantly and automatically: "I feel fat in these jeans," "I’ve put on so much weight," or "Gosh, my skin looks awful today." Talking about your looks might seem like a way to bond with your child and friends, but it’s worth considering what effect it could have.
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![Dove Social media, filters and the ‘Selfie Talk’]()
talking topics
social media safety
self comparison
self-esteem
health and wellbeing
parent
11 to 16 years
digital distortion
Social media, filters and the ‘Selfie Talk’With the rise of social media, filters and digital distortion there's never been a better time to have the 'Selfie Talk'. -
![Confident Me]()
body image
looks and appearance
teacher
8 to 16 years
Confident Me – training videos for teachersClick here to watch our range of Confident Me training videos – all designed to help you deliver self-esteem workshops successfully.Click here to watch our range of Confident Me training videos – all designed to help you deliver self-esteem workshops successfully.
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![Single session workshop]()
body image
looks and appearance
teacher
8 to 16 years
Confident Me – single sessionEducational materials looking at the media's influence on body image and self-esteem, with videos, presentations and worksheets to help build young people's body confidenceTeacher resources for our single session Dove Confident Me programme – all you need to run a one-off body-confidence workshop.
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![Five session teaching resources]()
body image
looks and appearance
teacher
8 to 16 years
Confident Me – five sessionsTeaching materials on body-image and the media – activities, videos and worksheets to help boost young people's body confidence and improve their self-esteemOur Confident Me body-confidence teaching materials explore influences on young people's body image and self-esteem.
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![Mum and daughter with iPad]()
positive talk
talking topics
female stereotypes
celebrity culture
fashion
body image
looks and appearance
parent
8 to 14 years
Women in the media: give the stereotypes a makeoverExplore the portrayal of women in media with your daughter, and together give the stereotypes a makeover to help her become more media-savvy and body confidentWorried that all your daughter ever sees in magazines and on screen are unrealistic images of ‘perfect’ women? Our fun activity plan will let you both give the stereotypes a makeover.
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![Dove Self-Esteem Project in action]()
talking topics
looks and appearance
teaching
mentor
youth leader
teacher
parent
8 to 16 years
The Dove Self-Esteem Project: Our Mission in ActionFind out how the Dove Self-Esteem Project is helping young people reach their full potential by delivering body confidence and self-esteem education.It's a shocking fact that eight out of 10 girls are so concerned about body image that they opt out of important life activities.
That’s why we’re on a mission to ensure the next generation grows up enjoying a positive relationship with the way they look.
