Confidence-building Exercises For Children And Adults

Self-confidence is an extremely important aspect of our mental health. Without it, you will not feel comfortable when you are in a group. Therefore, the famous confidence building exercises are very useful, because it is crucial to feel comfortable with other people.

Trust allows you to create pleasant and safe environments and also facilitates personal interactions. To understand its importance, think about how you feel and the physical manifestations you experience when you are in an unfamiliar environment.

Certainly the image that comes to mind is that of a tense body and a worried mind. Now think about how this changes when you are in a place or with a person you feel you know. You probably feel completely different!

However, trust is not built overnight because it requires time and gradual approaches. To this end, confidence-building exercises can serve as a good starting point.

Exercises to build confidence in children and adults

The following confidence building exercises can be done by children, teenagers and adults as they are fun for anyone.

A moderator must be present at all times. It will focus mainly on providing instructions to the participants and will ensure that everything works according to plan. Therefore, he must pay attention, be a role model through his attitude and remember that he is working on other social and emotional skills.

An excellent consolidation exercise to increase trust between members of a group is the fall in trust. To start the activity, the group must be divided into pairs in a large space. No other types of materials are required. The game moderator must ensure that the partners are similar, which means that they have similar physical characteristics.

Participants should rely on partners and turn their backs on them. Once they are all in this position, the moderator must give a signal and the participants to throw themselves on their backs, being protected by their partners so as not to hit.

The first reactions will probably be insecurity and a certain fear, but then all members of the group will feel more relaxed. At that point, the moderator may make the exercise more difficult by indicating a few additional movements.

The activity can end after a certain time or after the additional challenges proposed by the moderator.

This confidence-building exercise is an adaptation of the previous one. A bandana or blindfold is required, and the ideal location is an open space. Participants must sit in a circle. Only one volunteer should be in the middle, blindfolded. He will relax his body.

When the moderator gives the order, the rest of the group will start pushing and moving the person in the middle from side to side. After a few moves, another volunteer can take his place in the middle of the circle.

The duration of the game depends on how many people want to be in the middle. The exercise can take between 15 and 20 minutes.

This confidence building exercise can be done in pairs in an open space. You need to place random objects in the open space, marking a starting point and a finish line.

One of the partners must be blindfolded, while the other will be the one who will guide him by giving him directions so that he can reach the end of the route safely.

The one who is blindfolded will receive instructions such as “Go right”, “Jump” and “Take two steps to the left”, depending on how the objects were arranged. You can use circles, cones and ropes.

The estimated time of the activity depends on the design of the route. Each partner must play both roles in turn. It doesn’t matter how long the route takes. The important thing is to get to the finish line safely and feel confident.

The proposed dynamic strengthens trust in the group. The only way to reach the finish line is through cooperation, which means that this exercise allows people to understand the importance of teamwork.

Self-confidence can be developed. This activity requires a minimum of six participants in a large space so that they can sit in a circle. It is an exercise that requires prior knowledge of the group. The group will need writing paper and pens or pencils.

For starters, each participant must have their own sheet of paper and pen or pencil. The moderator will ask them to write their name. When they have finished, the moderator will give them the signal to send the paper to the person on the left.

The moderator will indicate that each person should write something positive about or something that the past person likes on paper, clarifying that inappropriate comments are not allowed.

When all participants have finished writing something about each of the group members, the moderator will start reading the notes or ask a volunteer to do so. If participants agree, they can write more about each person. Therefore, this exercise aims to improve your self-confidence and self-esteem based on what others see in you.

Another way to do the exercise is to put the papers in a box and ask each member to read. After that, the roles will be changed.

The last confidence-building exercise is to separate the group into pairs. Each pair will receive a sheet of paper and a pencil. One of the partners should start by drawing a picture, making sure that the partner does not see it. You will have a few minutes to draw.

When everyone is finished, the moderator will give the signal, and the person who made the drawing must give clues to his partner to help him reproduce the drawing. Because it consists of providing explanations, this game allows people to develop and stimulate expression and communication skills.

The game ends once the other partner has reproduced the drawing.

Confidence-building exercises: sharing emotions, one of their goals

After children, teenagers or adults have completed these exercises, they need to evaluate what they felt, what they liked the most and what they did not like at all. This allows them to express and manage their emotions.

The moderator will be the one who invites the participants to form a circle and share their experiences. It is also very important to contextualize the activities and to be aware of the importance of trust and interpersonal relationships. This helps to create a climate where everyone feels safe, shares their own experiences and cultivates respect.