Emotional Wellbeing & Confidence

Emotional wellbeing and confidence play a big role in how children learn, interact, and take part in everyday life. Occupational therapists (OTs) help children understand their feelings, build confidence, and develop tools to cope with challenges. We take a strengths-based approach, which means we start with what your child already does well and what makes them feel successful. By building on these strengths and providing safe, structured opportunities to try new things, we support children to grow their independence, resilience and sense of self. OTs also look at the whole picture including your child, your family and their environment to understand what helps them thrive in daily life.

What does OT support look like in this area?

OTs use play, activities, and structured challenges to support emotional development and confidence:

• Building resilience: Helping children manage setbacks, tolerate frustration, and persist through challenges.

• Encouraging self-esteem: Recognising strengths and achievements, providing positive feedback, and celebrating successes.

• Supporting children to try new things: Introducing manageable challenges and gradually increasing difficulty to build confidence.

• Modelling coping strategies: Teaching deep breathing, self-talk, visual supports, or relaxation exercises to manage anxiety or fear.

• Creating safe environments: Ensuring activities are structured, predictable, and supportive to reduce anxiety about new tasks.

How OT support helps in everyday life

• Children become more willing to try new activities, such as sports, social games, or academic tasks.

• Helps children recover from setbacks without frustration or withdrawal.

• Improves participation in school, home routines, and community activities.

• Supports social relationships by encouraging assertiveness, communication, and engagement with peers.

How this skill can change as your child grows

• Young children: Begin to recognise their feelings and celebrate small achievements.

• School-aged children: Independently manage challenges, use coping strategies, and attempt new activities with support.

• Adolescents: Take calculated risks, manage failure, reflect on strengths, and apply strategies across social, academic, and community settings.

How this skill can look at home, school, or in the community

• Home: Encouraging chores, creative projects, or trying new foods while celebrating effort and success

• School: Participating in group tasks, classroom presentations, or trying new playground games

• Community: Engaging in extracurricular activities, clubs, or social groups with peers

A real-life example

A 7-year-old felt anxious about joining a new soccer team. The OT worked with the child to identify strengths, set small goals (like passing the ball or saying hello to teammates), and practise coping strategies for nervousness. Over time, the child joined team activities confidently, celebrated small achievements, and gradually took on more challenging roles during games.