5 Books For Raising Children Who Believe In Themselves

Self-esteem and self-perception must be cultivated from a young age to grow up with a good character and few insecurities.

Written and verified by the psychologist Gema Sánchez Cuevas.

Last update: 02 February, 2024

Today we’re going to show you a list of books for raising children who believe in themselves. Why is that important? There’s a quote by Karl A. Menninger that sums it up perfectly, “what’s done to children, they will do it to society.”

Of course, as parents, we all dream of having happy, fulfilled children who do the things they like. It’s obvious that they’ll need to develop a fairer and more balanced world to do that.

And to achieve that kind of society, there need to be people who believe in themselves, who are secure and self-sufficient, and who can invest all their abilities in a fuller life.

“Growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional.”
-Walt Disney-

The faith that makes them grow starts with knowledge and intuition

During their earliest childhood, young children tend to be spontaneous and direct. That’s one reason why interacting with them is such a strange experience.

But from 7 years on they start to worry about “what people will say,” and about the opinions of friends, teachers, and family members.

But you don’t have to let children lose certain parts of their spontaneous nature. Show them how to process their emotions without disconnecting from them.

If you want them to develop in a proper, secure way, you have to show them the path to expressing emotions assertively. They have rights and your mission is to make sure they know those rights so that no one can threaten them while you’re not around.

Otherwise, all that will happen is that your children will disconnect from their emotions. This will also push them away from part of their identity.

You have to remember that a child, just like an adult who’s unsure about their identity, loses part of themself. And that loss makes room for insecurity. 

Books for raising children who believe in themselves

This is where the list of books for raising children comes into play. These books can help you make sure your children never stop believing in themselves.

Reading will show them that their wishes and wants will always have a place, and teach them how to start direct dialogues with their emotions. Doing that will help them identify and express those emotions in a way that doesn’t hurt them or anyone else.

These books for raising children will do their small part to make sure your children feel more secure, confident in their potential, and with a strong self-esteem. Make sure you write these names down.

The Flock

We’ll start the list with The Flock, by Margarita del Mazo. It’s a book with beautiful illustrations that are fun for both children and adults. And you’ll also find a beautiful lesson about respect for oneself, one’s neighbors, and diversity. 

The author tells the story of a very special group of sheep, the ones we count to fall asleep.  Everything was really nice when they went out to think, run, jump, and keep going on their way…until number 4 disappeared.

Crow

Now let’s have a look at Crow, by Leo Timmers. It’s another illustrated book that tenderly addresses the need we all have to feel loved. Just because you’re  different doesn’t mean you should let people treat you differently from others. 

In this case, that’s what happens to the crow who’s the main character of the story. None of the birds want to know a thing about him, and he doesn’t understand why.

But everything changes when he takes control of his life and finds out that you don’t have to be someone you’re not for other people to accept you.

The Little Pea

Now it’s time for The Little Pea, by Éric Battut. Here, the main characters are a group of peas who are forced to stay nice and quiet in the pod, in the order they were born.

Everything changes when one pea decides he doesn’t want to be like the rest of them. So the courage you need to have to break norms and go all over the world is the real main character of this powerful story. 

I Love You (Nearly Always)

Now we’ll talk about I Love You (Nearly Always), by Anna Llenas. In this case, the main character of the story is unconditional love, the kind that goes beyond social conventions, defects, and differences. 

Here the main characters are a woodlouse named Roly and a firefly named Rita. But they’re very different. Roly is a controlling perfectionist, and Rita is a total improviser. But when it comes to love, balance is always a mission possible.

A Bad Case of Stripes

We’ll finish with a book by David Shannon – A Bad Case of Stripes. Do you have to do something just because everyone else does it? That’s the question you’ll find an answer to in this fun book.

Here the little girl Camila Flan doesn’t eat beans because no one else does, even though she loves them. Because of her desire to be part of the group, she tries to do things like everyone else. But she’ll quickly learn that’s not the answer.

Now you know about 5 books for raising children who believe in themselves that are really fun and very great to read to your little ones. Water the garden of their childhood so that they’ll develop into fulfilled and happy people who believe that they’re unique and wonderful.