Being brave is all about feeling scared and doing the scary thing anyway. Usually kids will struggle with feeling scared and they won’t allow themselves to take action anyway, and then feel that brave feeling.
Help them know that before we feel brave, we almost always feel scared too. And that is a normal part of the experience of what it means to be brave.
Focus On Their Brave
An important part of this is affirming your kid’s attempt to do something rather than the outcome of doing that something. If your kid is feeling scared, try not to focus on the outcome of them trying to be brave, focus on them simply trying to take one more step to move them forward.
You are wanting to encourage them in taking the next small step forward when they feel as scared as they do. Whatever the situation is, you are going to want to focus on affirming them for their attempt at it, and not necessarily successfully getting their goal.
How Does This Help?
This helps your kid feel confident about the fact that the simple act of trying is enough. It helps them learn that being brave is not about the outcome – it’s about just taking one more step or trying one more time. And it helps you encourage them to keep at it when they don’t feel like they can keep at it.
