Displaying Family Photos Can Help Boost Your Kids’ Self-Esteem

In recent decades, psychologists and other child development experts have explored the link between confidence and photographs. For instance, a group of 4th graders in Tennessee wear studied by a research group from Tulane University. Over the course of five weeks, the children used Polaroids to take photos of themselves in different assigned poses and expressing assigned emotions. The children were then given the photographs to create personal scrapbooks using the pictures of themselves. These children showed a 37% increase in self-esteem at the end of the program.

Self-Esteem and Family Photos

Other psychologists have studied the correlation between family photos and self-esteem in children, and the results are on par with the Tulane study. According to a licensed psychologist, David Krauss, another aspect of the family photos is the visible creation of the family unit. Krauss says, “I think it is really important to show a family as a family unit. It is so helpful for children to see themselves as a valued and important part of that family unit.” A family photographer helps create that family unit, and when those photos are displayed, the child can physically see themselves as a part of that unit.

Another Vancouver-based psychologist, Judy Weiser, agrees with the sentiment expressed by Krauss. Weiser says, “It lets children learn who they are and where they fit. They learn their genealogy and the uniqueness of their own family and its story.” She goes on to say that the family photos can help your child feel safe and like they belong.

Photos in the Digital Age

In the modern era, we may take more photographs than ever before, but we tend to store them on our smartphones or in online photo albums. While you may have thousands of photos of your child being adorable, your child won’t see them very often.

Krauss thinks this trend could be detrimental to the child’s self-esteem. She says, “I think placing a family photo someplace in the home where the child can see it every day without having to turn on a device or click around on a computer to find it really hits home for that child.”

When your child sees his or her face proudly displayed on the wall of your home, it shows the child that they are important. It boosts their self-esteem to see that you consider them special enough to have a place of honor on your walls for all of the visitors of the home to see.

Family Photos Are More Than Just Memories

Your family photos are fantastic memories that let you relieve every single era of your child’s development, but they are so much more than just keepsakes for you. These photographs tell your child that they are important and that they are loved in a very tangible way. As a parent, we always want to give our children the best advantages that we can muster, and something as simple as having their photo on the wall can be one of those advantages. It can be the boost of self-esteem that they need to live life confidently.