Building Superhero Self-Esteem Through Play

Self-Esteem. Ooh, that’s a tough one with kids, right? It’s so easy for me to praise my kids for doing a good job, or tell them how special they are to me, but really helping them to build a strong self-esteem is a whole different thing. Here are 5 tips for building a superhero-strong self-esteem in your kids!

Teach them to work with others.

One of my favorite moments as a mom is seeing my kids work together. I love to see them come up with a new game or a story for their imaginary play together. Teaching kids to work with others build their self-esteem as they learn more about themselves and their role in the group.

Let them make mistakes.

Ugh! Isn’t this the HARDEST? I’ve been known to be a bit of a helicopter mom at times. Letting kids make and learn from their mistakes is SO crucial to building their self-esteem. You know I’m not talking life-altering mistakes here… more like letting them make some choices and talking through the good and bad consequences of those choices.

Let them break the rules (sort of.)

We’re talking rules like coloring inside the lines here. From our very first set when our oldest was 1 or 2, we have been a Lego loving family. My little boy LOVES order and numbers and sticking to the directions, but a lot of his play with Lego bricks is creating his own vehicles, characters, and stories with the big box or pieces from older sets.

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Step back and let them figure things out on their own.

My little guy’s personality at 4 years old is just starting to bloom, and we have discovered that he has an affinity for numbers and order. It has been so fun for us as parents to let him use those skills to learn to do things on his own!

My son also loves superheroes. He lovingly calls his Captain America light-up tennis shoes his “Caps” and was Ironman for Halloween 2 years ago. The Lego Superheroes: Marvel and DC Comics sets are for ages 5 and up and bring those well-loved characters and movies to life! This Ironman/Hulk set was more challenging and had a lot more steps than the Juniors set. I could have easily stepped in and told him he would need my help to build it. But I let him figure it out, follow the directions, and come to me if he needed any help. He was so proud and excited to show me when he finished building the entire set! I’m so glad I gave him a chance to do it on his own.

LEGO Systems offers three distinct age-appropriate superhero product lines for kids to imagine and create with their favorite characters and storylines. Whether your child is new to building with LEGO bricks or becoming master builder, there is a product for every age and stage. Our kids started with two well-loved Duplo sets, and then on to Lego Juniors and now are also loving Lego Superheroes and other larger sets.

If you’re looking for a more simple starter Lego set, Lego Juniors are the way to go! They easily held the attention of both our kids (age 4 and 6) but were easy enough to put together that Mom & Dad didn’t need to help.

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These sets have easy-to-follow instructions, quick-start elements & numbered bags (Mom’s favorite feature!) and age-appropriate themes.

Let them work towards a goal and enjoy the reward.

I try to teach my kids this all the time, and I’ve seen the difference between giving them something (just to give it to them) and having them work towards a goal. Saving up money to buy a new toy or letting them earn a reward after a day of working together as a family is always more beneficial and can really build their self-esteem.

Right now my son is working on staying in his room all night. He likes to come up to Mom & Dad’s room to snuggle for a few ~~minutes~~ hours! We really want him to learn to stay in his own bed, so I created this Superhero Reward Chart he can check off every morning when he has stayed in bed the night before!