Personal development for young people can rely heavily on the guidance of parents and other adults. Experts believe parents can help children and adolescents develop personally by fostering healthy self-esteem, teaching accountability, displaying a sense of optimism, and passing on interpersonal skills that can help children and adolescents form strong, healthy relationships with others. Teaching practical life skills, such as keeping one's belongings tidy, managing one's time, and meeting one's obligations, can be vital parts of personal development for young people. Children and teens are also said to benefit immensely from learning how to practice stress relief, since learning to cope with stress early in life can help to prevent stress-related problems even into adulthood.
Young children may experience the greatest gains in personal development when parents and other significant adults treat them with respect, love, and kindness. Parents, caregivers, and mentors can foster healthy self-esteem in children by using respectful language and by pointing out the young person's strengths, talents, and general good qualities. Behavior that fosters healthy self-esteem can also teach young children about relating to others and forming strong relationships. Personal development for young people often involves learning how to show respect, affection, and care for others. Parents and caregivers can teach children good listening skills, and impress upon them that trustworthiness and honesty are important to strong relationships with others.
Teaching accountability is considered another important aspect of personal development for young people. This is often easier when children have healthy self-esteem, and feel loved, respected, and safe. Accountability helps children and teens admit when they are in the wrong, and make things right. Children and adolescents who feel safe and loved are typically more able to do this without fear of excessive reprisals.
Stress relief is considered an important part of personal development for young people and adults. It is best to learn techniques for coping with stress during childhood, when they can become deeply ingrained. In this manner, children are thought to become better able to cope with stress throughout life, and may enjoy more happiness, and fewer stress-related physical and mental illnesses.
As children grow into adolescents, they can often benefit from learning personal organization skills. Very young children can begin by learning, for instance, how to put their toys away, how to dress themselves, and how to attend to their own personal hygiene needs. Young children can also be taught how to contribute to the needs of the household by completing simple chores. As children become adolescents, these skills can be expanded into lessons about time management and fulfilling obligations to others.
