Self-esteem Group Activities

There are many definitions of self-esteem, the simplest being "the respect, confidence, satisfaction for yourself and ability to accept your own faults." A person with self-esteem knows the difference between right and wrong, accepts it and behaves according to his/her perception. When we carry around an image created by internal evaluation of ourselves, consciously or subconsciously and act accordingly, we are known to have a self-esteem. It is not an innate part of our personalities, but it is acquired through the experiences, interactions and upbringing that we receive or come across since childhood.

Based on our failures and success, we build an image about our own selves and this personality is portrayed before the people around us. It is a very important part of our development from a child to a mature individual, and it helps in our personal as well as professional lives. For people who are low on self-esteem, there are group or individual self-esteem activities which can be practiced together. A few of these self-esteem group activities and their importance are compiled in the paragraphs below, so take a look.

Self-Esteem Group Activities for Kids

• It is extremely essential for kids to build a certain level of self-esteem, because it can be very helpful to a child who is developing both mentally and physically.
• During growing up, there are various types of experiences and situations that have an impact on their personalities, their likes and dislikes.
• The maturity to make decisions, the ability to make the right choices and the endurance to face the consequences of the wrong ones, all depend on a few self-esteem exercises.
• During these phases of growth the support from a parent or a family is a major requirement for kids. And when they are not subjected to the right balance between trust and liberty, their basic personality turns into that of an afraid, timid, low on confidence and shy person.
• To keep them away from these unhealthy traits, it is very important to subject them to some self-esteem group activities, in school or at home.

Mixing the Shoes
When you have a group of kids, ask them to remove all their shoes, slippers or any other footwear and place it in a huge box. Every kid has to pick a shoe pair and try to find the owner, by trying out the pair in every other kid's feet. A fun and interesting way of interaction for all the kids.

Board Games
Another great interactive and fun self-esteem group activities can be simple board games such as chess, scrabble, checkers, family, brainteasers, etc. Kids love these games and enjoy them with partners as well as teammates. They can also help them in learning new words, and facts about places.

Icebreakers for Kids
These are important to teach them important roles in team building. These can be garden games which are also a great choice for self-esteem activities for kids. Book clubs, dancing, cooking, sports, singing, karate, and other talent classes would also boost their confidence and self-esteem, as they will be achievers.

Self-Esteem Group Activities for Adults

• Adults who have low self-esteem on the other hand are considered to be weaker than children but this can change with a few activities for building self-esteem. This is because, those adults who lack confidence, wit, ability to take on-the-spot decisions, are timid and have stage fright are at a bigger loss in their personal and professional lives.
• They usually have had an unsupported childhood, or have not had any one say, "I am proud of you", to them even though they have tried to prove themselves regularly. This lack of trust and support, often puts a person down and makes them feel like failures, which leads to low self-esteem.
• Having a low self-esteem is an extremely unhealthy trait, as you can't make decisions, often land up let down, go through depression, become a pessimist, lead to unhealthy relationships and even suicides. You have to build a self-esteem and respect yourselves, if you want to be an achiever and succeed in life.
• Therefore, a number of companies and public places hold activities for self-esteem for such individuals and include them in various types of team building and planning activities.

7 Things
One great activity for a group of adults to build their self-esteem is a game called 7 things. In this game, the group mates have to observe a partner for 5 minutes and write 7 things you liked and 7 things you didn't like about them. The game's risky, but fun if taken in the right spirit.

Mirror Mirror
In this game there are various positive things that you talk about yourself, thus building your self-esteem highly. A mirror is placed before all the participants and they have to find out things they like about themselves. Sounds great right!

Other Social Activities
Here, you can include social activities like participating in group discussions, holding fun interviews, debates, political talks, visiting NGOs, etc. This will definitely help the persons find their interests and they can use their skills and talents for appreciation. Other self-esteem group activities can be drawing, painting, literature, acting, dancing, sports and other competitions.

With these interesting self-esteem group activities, the individuals interacting with each other can make lots of friends, build confidence, become more approachable and learn how to strike conversations with strangers. Self-esteem is a must for every individual, as it is the basis of his/her character, it is who they are.