Confidence is one of the greatest gifts a parent can give their child.

Carl Pickhardt, a psychologist and author of 15 parenting books, says a kid who lacks confidence will be reluctant to try new or challenging things because they're scared of failing or disappointing others.

This can end up holding them back later in life and prevent them from having a successful career.

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"The enemies of confidence are discouragement and fear," he says. So, as a parent, it's your job to encourage and support your child as they attempt to tackle difficult tasks.

Here are 17 more tips for raising a confident child:

1. Appreciate effort no matter if they win or lose

When you're growing up, the journey is more important than the destination.

So whether your child makes the winning goal for his team or accidentally kicks it out of bounds, applaud their effort, Pickhardt says. They should never feel embarrassed for trying.

"Over the long haul, consistently trying hard builds more confidence than intermittently doing well," he explains.

2. Encourage practice to build competence

Encourage your child to practice whatever it is they're interested in — but do so without putting too much pressure on them.

Harmony Shu, a piano prodigy, told Ellen DeGeneres that she started practicing when she was just 3 years old.

"Practice invests effort in the confident expectation that improvement will follow," Pickhardt explains.

3. Let them figure out problems by themselves

If you do the hard work for your child then they'll never develop the abilities or the confidence to figure out problems on their own.

"Parental help can prevent confidence derived from self-help and figuring out on the child's own," Pickhardt explains.

In other words, better that your child gets a few B's and C's rather than straight A's, so long as they are actually learning how to solve the problems and do the work.

4. Let them act their age

Don't expect your child to act like an adult. "When a child feels that only performing as well as parents is good enough, that unrealistic standard may discourage effort," he says. "Striving to meet advanced age expectations can reduce confidence."

5. Encourage curiosity

Sometimes a child's endless stream of questions can be tiresome, but it should be encouraged.

Paul Harris of Harvard University told The Guardian that asking questions is a helpful exercise for a child's development because it means they realize that "there are things they don't know ... that there are invisible worlds of knowledge they have never visited."

When children start school, those from households that encouraged curious questions have an edge over the rest of their classmates because they've had practice taking in information from their parents, The Guardian reported, and that translates to taking in information from their teacher. In other words, they know how to learn better and faster.

Your favourite child stars: where are they now? Show all 10 1 /10 Your favourite child stars: where are they now? Your favourite child stars: where are they now? Ralph Macchio Although not technically a child star as he was 23 when playing the Karate Kid, Ralph's boyish good looks made him a teen idol in the eighties. In 1992, Macchio starred opposite Joe Pesci in 'My Cousin Vinny' but since the mid-1990s, Macchio's film appearances have been occasional cameo - or supporting roles. Pushing 50 and looking 30, he now plays politician Archie Rodriguez, in Ugly Betty. Getty Images Your favourite child stars: where are they now? Getty Images Your favourite child stars: where are they now? Macaulay Culkin He starred in Home Alone in 1990 aged only 10 years old and went on to be befriended by Michael Jackson, even appearing in his Black or White video. Earlier this year there were also rumours that he was the biological father of Michael's youngest child, Blanket. Married at 18, divorced by 20, arrested for possession of drugs at 24, he has since been in a few films and received positive reviews for his role in Saved! in 2004. His girlfriend of 7 years is also a current (cartoon) child star - Family Guy's Meg Griffin. Getty Images Your favourite child stars: where are they now? Shirley Temple President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, 'It is a splendid thing that for just a fifteen cents an American can go to a movie and look at the smiling face of a baby and forget his troubles.' He was talking about Shirley Temple during the Great Depression, when she achieved the greatest success of any child star. She was married by the age of 18, and divorced one child and 4 years later. After appearing in 56 films by the time she was 21, she married for the second time in 1950 and announced her retirement from the silver screen. A year after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1973, Temple became one of the first prominent women to talk opening about the illness. Many awards down the line, Temple was awarded the Life Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild in 2005. Getty Images Your favourite child stars: where are they now? Gary Coleman Coleman is best known for his role as Arnold Jackson in the American sitcom Diff'rent Strokes (1978-1986), but almost as well-known for suing his parents and former manager over misappropriation of his $3.8 million trust fund. He won a $1,280,000 but later filed for bankruptcy in 1999, attributing his financial problems to mismanagement of his trust. Coleman is parodied in the hit 2003 Broadway musical, Avenue Q, lamenting on his career ending before he even reached adulthood in the song 'It Sucks to be Me'. He announced his intention to sue the producers of Avenue Q for their depiction of him, although the lawsuit never materialised. Getty Images Your favourite child stars: where are they now? Mark Lester Who would've guessed that the innocent young orphan from the 1968 film Oliver! would later claim to be the biological father of Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris? He revealed this after being banned from seeing his godchildren after the death of their father earlier this year. After a short career as a child star, Lester took his A Levels at the age of 28 and became an osteopathic physician, opening an acupuncture clinic in Cheltenham. Getty Images Your favourite child stars: where are they now? Saved by the Bell A fair few rumours have circulated about the original cast of Saved by the Bell, including that Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Zack) was dead, and that Dustin Diamond (Screech) was in a porn film. Mark-Paul Gosselaar is still very much alive and still acting, but the latter is indeed factual as Dustin played the lead in the 2006 movie 'Screeched!'. Getty Images Your favourite child stars: where are they now? Keshia Knight Pulliam The youngest of the Cosby crew, Keshia played Rudy Huxtable in The Cosby Show from the age of 5 to 13. First appearing on the Sesame Street at the age of 3, she became the youngest actress ever to be nominated for an Emmy aged 6 for best supporting actress. A few films and reality appearances later, she has recently joined the cast of Tyler Perry's House of Payne. Getty Images Your favourite child stars: where are they now? Molly Ringwald Ringwald ranked #1 in VH1's 100 Greatest Teen Stars, after starring in John Hughes' teen films The Breakfast Club, and Pretty in Pink, and her TV role as Anne Juergens in The Secret Life of the American Teenager. She reportedly turned down the female lead roles in Pretty Woman and Ghost, choosing instead to move to France and star in French films. She now plays the teenager's mother in the new version of the TV series The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Getty Images Your favourite child stars: where are they now? Peter Ostrum He played Charlie Bucket in the 1971 motion picture Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory but unlike most other child stars, didn't continue to try and make it as an actor after his success. Ostrum decided to pursue a degree in veterinary medicine instead, and in 1984 received his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. Getty Images

6. Give them new challenges

Show your child that they can make and accomplish small goals to reach a big accomplishment — like riding a bike without training wheels.

"Parents can nurture confidence by increasing responsibilities that must be met," Pickhardt explains.

7. Avoid creating short cuts or making exceptions for your child

Special treatment can communicate a lack of confidence, Pickhardt says. "Entitlement is no substitute for confidence."

8. Never criticize their performance

Nothing will discourage your child more than criticizing his or her efforts. Giving useful feedback and making suggestions is fine — but never tell them they're doing a bad job.

If your kid is scared to fail because they worry you'll be angry or disappointed, they'll never try new things.

"More often than not, parental criticism reduces the child's self-valuing and motivation," says Pickhardt.

9. Treat mistakes as building blocks for learning

"Learning from mistakes builds confidence," he says. But this only happens when you, as a parent, treat mistakes as an opportunity to learn and grow.

Don't be over-protective of your child. Allow them to mess up every now and then, and help them understand how they can better approach the task next time.

Pickhardt says parents should see "uh-oh" moments as an opportunity to teach their kids not to fear failure.

10. Open the door to new experiences

Pickhardt says you, as a parent, have a responsibility to "increase life exposures and experiences so the child can develop confidence in coping with a larger world."

Exposing children to new things teaches them that no matter how scary and different something seems, they can conquer it.

Unintentionally terrifying children's movies Show all 7 1 /7 Unintentionally terrifying children's movies Unintentionally terrifying children's movies Most people know to steer well clear of this one by now. If not, you obviously escaped one of the most scarring childhood memories, that of cute baby Bambi’s mother being shot dead by hunters, leaving him sad and alone in the woods. Rex Features Unintentionally terrifying children's movies Ursula makes a pact with mermaid Ariel that she will make her human in return for her voice. Her voice! She must then get a man to fall in love with her, without being able to speak. Every feminist’s nightmare. Unintentionally terrifying children's movies This one is seriously trippy. It’s Disney’s third ever movie but instead of pretty dresses and Prince Charmings and happily ever afters, all we got was a visit to Satan’s lair in ‘Night on Bald Mountain’. Unintentionally terrifying children's movies That fairground is enough to put you off any old-fashioned fun for life. It’s called Pleasure Island but there is absolutely zero pleasure involved whatsoever. Naughty boys are turned into donkeys and the whole wooden puppet coming alive thing doesn’t really do it for us either. Unintentionally terrifying children's movies There are plenty of frankly horrifying moments in this supposed children’s film from 1941, but none so harrowing as the scene when Dumbo visits his imprisoned, supposedly mad mummy elephant and she sings him a lullaby while cradling him in her trunk. Unintentionally terrifying children's movies This ‘movie about bunnies’ may look cute enough but Watership Down is proof that animation does not equal adorable. It’s possibly the most traumatic film you’ll have seen in, well, forever. It’s really bloody in parts and should quite clearly never have been rated a U, even in 1978. Unintentionally terrifying children's movies Tiny Thumbelina is kidnapped by toads shortly after birth, nearly drowns in a waterfall, betrothed to a blind old mole who lives underground, forced to dress as a bug and dance at a freaky insect ball, spanked by Mr Beetle with a cane and her lover Prince Cornelius is frozen in an ice block. Oh and her best friend nearly dies. Lovely.

11. Teach them what you know how to do

You are your child's hero — at least until they're a teenager.

Use that power to teach them what you know about how to think, act, and speak. Set a good example, and be a role model.

Pickhardt says watching you succeed will help your child be more confident that they can do the same.

12. Don't tell them when you're worried about them

Parental worry can often be interpreted by the child as a vote of no confidence, he says. "Expressing parental confidence engenders the child's confidence."

13. Praise them when they deal with adversity

Life is not fair. It's hard, and every child will have to learn that at some point.

When they do encounter hardships, Pickhardt says parents should point out how enduring these challenges will increase their resilience.

It's important to remind your child that every road to success is filled with setbacks, he adds.

14. Offer your help and support, but not too much of it

Giving too much assistance too soon can reduce the child's ability for self-help, says Pickhardt.

"Making parental help contingent on the child's self-help first can build confidence."

15. Applaud their courage to try something new

Whether it's trying out for the travel basketball team or going on their first roller coaster, Pickhardt says parents should praise their kids for trying new things. He suggests saying something as simple as, "You are brave to try this!"

"Comfort comes from sticking to the familiar; courage is required to dare the new and different," he says.

16. Celebrate the excitement of learning

When you're growing up, the journey is more important than the destination.

So whether your child makes the winning goal for his team or accidentally kicks it out of bounds, applaud their effort, Pickhardt says. They should never feel embarrassed for trying.

"Over the long haul, consistently trying hard builds more confidence than intermittently doing well," he explains.

17. Don't allow them to escape reality by spending all their time on the internet

Don't allow your kid to hide behind a computer screen. Instead, encourage them to engage with real people in the real world.

"Confidence in the virtual world (although important) is not the same as real world confidence that offline effectiveness brings," Pickhardt says.

18. Be authoritative, but not too forceful or strict

When parents are too strict or demanding, the child's confidence to self-direct can be reduced.

"Dependence on being told can keep the child from acting bold," he says.

Natalie Walters contributed to a previous version of this article.

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