How to Build Confidence

What is confidence?

Confidence is about believing in yourself, your skills, and your ideas.

Confident people typically:

Confidence is also built on trust. Having confidence means you’re better prepared to deal with change and uncertainty; when difficult situations arise, you trust in yourself to cope with them.

It’s possible to be confident in some scenarios and not others. A child who loves sport may be confident in PE lessons but less confident when answering maths questions, or vice versa. Being self-confident doesn’t necessarily mean being ‘outgoing’, either – children who are quiet or shy can be confident, too.

Confidence is something you can learn

Confidence isn’t something a person is born with; it’s a skill to be mastered, an art to be perfected over years of learning. 

However, many still think that confidence is a fixed characteristic – that if someone is low on confidence, it’s just not their strength. Yet, everybody absolutely can, and should, work on how to build confidence – and the benefits for students can be transformational.

The link between confidence and academic success in school

Studies show that confident children are much more likely to succeed academically. In fact, confidence has been quoted as the leading predictor of academic achievement. This is particularly true in core subjects such as English, maths, and science, where confidence has long-term, positive effects on success.  

When children are confident and secure about who they are, they’re also more likely to have a ‘growth mindset’. This means they’re motivated to seek out new experiences and learning opportunities. They’re also more likely to ask for help when they need it.

How to build confidence in children: the ISM approach

We want every child to feel confident in their own abilities. We also want them to be comfortable with who they are as individuals. This way, they’re more likely to succeed, both academically and personally.

We strive to improve self-esteem in our children in two fundamental ways:

1. Creating an environment that brings out the best in every child

As a school, we work hard to create an environment where every child feels inspired to excel.

Our diverse community of students, families, teachers, and alumni make ISM a supportive, nurturing place to be. Every student is, for example, a member of one of four Houses. This provides a robust support system and competitive, confidence-boosting activities, as well as giving them the confidence to interact with different people.

We work tirelessly to ensure our students fulfil their potential. At every stage of their learning journey, each child receives the right balance of challenge and support, tailored to their needs and goals. This includes the opportunity to join our Most Able and Talented (MAT) Programme, which accelerates our most gifted students’ progress. The MAT Programme boosts their confidence in their abilities and prepares learners for whatever future they choose. 

Our educational approach is underpinned by a deep commitment to wellbeing. Our personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum, for instance, fosters the knowledge and self-belief our students need to thrive as individuals, family members, and part of society. 

2. Offering an array of confidence building activities for students

Both lessons and our extra-curricular programmes are packed with experiences designed to build confidence in our children. 

We want our students to seize new opportunities, too, and realise that anything is possible. And if something doesn’t work out, we always encourage them to persevere and try again.

Confidence building activities for students include:

The impact of increased student confidence

As self-esteem in children increases, they truly begin to realise their potential. They’re more focused in class, and complete coursework and exams to the best of their ability. They’re also less afraid of failing.

At ISM, confident students demonstrate:

For more information on how to build confidence, please get in touch with us at admissions@internationalschool.ru.