Could your daughter be more confident in her abilities, speak up more, and feel good about being a leader? “Yes!” say authors Katty Kay and Claire Shipman in their book, The Confidence Code. Both women are top-notch in their fields. One is a political correspondent and the other a news anchor for BBC World News America.

Katty and Claire interviewed successful women and men in politics, arts, sports, and the military to learn truths about women and confidence. Today they’ll share some of what they’ve learned, what beliefs and behaviors females must change, and some actions to encourage in our girls.

How Men and Women Differ in Confidence

In general, men feel more confident than women. While men tend to speak up, share their ideas more freely, ask for raises more often, and expect higher salaries, women don’t. They lack the level of confidence that men possess even if they are smarter and more competent. What’s the problem?

The “Confidence Blacklist” Women Must Change:

Over-thinkingExcessive people pleasingFear of speaking up and looking stupidRuminating about failures instead of ‘shaking’ them offSeeing their success as “luck” instead of earnedOver-preparationPerfectionism

Our authors found from interviewing successful women that they often wrestle with self-doubt. They interviewed male bosses who said that female employees often hesitate to share their good ideas. As a result, males who are less competent but more confident in their abilities, speak up and are rewarded.

The Good News for Girls

Confidence is the key and it can be learned. As parents, you’ll find many things you can do to help your daughter believe in herself and her abilities.

1. The Comfort Zone – Encourage your girl to expand her comfort zone. Praise her for her efforts to make friends, talk with adults, and speak up at meals with the extended family.

2. The Experiment – Urge your child to experiment speaking up in class. Suggest she notice whether her teacher or fellow students follow up on her ideas. If so, discuss her power to influence others. Cheer her on to speak up even more.

3. Thought-Stopping - Teach your daughter to “shake” off her failures. Let her know that over-thinking about mistakes lessens her confidence and holds her back. Ask her to come up with a powerful positive thought. Help her practice switching to it when a failure floods her mind.

Our Gratitude goes to Katty Kay and Claire Shipman for their in-depth work to bring us information and strategies that help women and girls increase their confidence.

Claire Shipman and Katty Kay

The Confidence Code is a powerful book, filled with research, results of interviews, insights, and practical advice for women. The authors also have many suggestions on how to build confidence in your daughters.

Could your young children improve their brain connections? "Absolutely!" says our parenting skills expert, Dr. Sally Goldberg, author of Make Your Own Preschool Games.Today she'll share the importance of 5 senses. You'll see the list of areas in which she includes 12 games each and you'll find 3 sample games to see how easy it is for you to use them.

Dr. Sally knows all learning comes through the senses. When you teach children through sight, sound, hearing, taste, and touch you create wonderful brain connections. Since so much of the brain develops before the age of 5, it is important to start young.

Game Categories in Make Your Own Preschool Games that Include 12 Games Each:

Mathematics

Science

Social Studies

Gross-Motor Development

Fine-Motor Development

Midline Development

Social Skills

Art

Music

Drama

Reading

Writing

Listening

Speaking

I like how she lists the name of each game with its page number in the back of the book. Dr. Sally recommends writing down the name of each game with its page number on 3X5" cards, shuffle them, and have your child choose which game to play.

3 Sample Games for Boosting Your Youngsters Brain Power

1. This Mathematics Game Teaches about Measurement:

Use a ruler to measure straight objects like a table, shelf, book, window, and door. This teaches preschoolers that different objects can have different lengths. You can also teach, inches, feet, and centimeters. It's so easy.

2. This Science Game Teaches the Care of Plants:

Buy 3 little identical plants. Put them where your child can water them. Water them 2 times a week. Ask your child to guess how each plant will do when they are watered with different solutions.

1.) Water

2.) Coca-cola

3.) Milk

Discuss the results and which solution is best for watering plants.

3. This Social Studies Game Tells The Story of the Day:

This develops your child's memory. Use it at bedtime. Begin with "Once upon a time...to tell what actually happened in your child's day. You can take turns telling different events. Feel free to stop and discuss any event especially if it teaches a lesson like honesty.

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If you can imagine playing these games together, feeling happy to be with each other, and watching your child expand his brain connections, then know that you are making learning fun. When your child measures with a ruler, waters plants, or tells his nightly story, he'll become more alert to the sizes of things, the plants around him, and what is happening during his day. What an excellent outcome! I recommend Make Your Own Preschool Gamesto all parents, daycare owners, preschool teachers, and homeschool parents.

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Join me in THANKING Dr. Sally for sharing 3 of her 168 games with us today. She's knows what your children's young brains need and how to help you give it to them.

1. To support your child through divorce check in with how he feels, let him know what to expect, and assure him that you love him and he will be okay.

2. To assist her with handling bullies, suggest she stay with a large group, an older child, or a helpful companion. Advise her to talk to an adult she trusts for help. Tell her to stay away from places where the bullies hang out.

3. To help him deal with frightening images that scare him, monitor his video games, screen the movies he wants to see, supervise his music.