My 5 year old dd has always lacked confidence physically (as in she took a lot longer than most to be able to go down a slide or try to climb a climbing frame and never mastered crawling). She did get a lot better but even now when she walks down a flight of unfamiliar steps she will be very nervous and the other day we went to one of her friend's houses and she started crying at the top of the stairs and wouldn't come down without holding my hand.
She is also very moody at the moment but that could be down to end-of-term-itus. She talks back to me and everything I say is a problem unless we are doing something solely for her benefit. She has been much moodier since her little sister came along. I think for a long time she felt pushed out, even though I tried my best to make sure she wasn't. She tested me and my patience continuously for many months and I found it tough. However, her sister is now 22 months and she is better.
She cries at very small things, like if we're walking to school with her friend and she "braves it" and goes on ahead with her friend - but then her much more confident friend moves away too quickly to speak to someone else.
She is so sensitive and I need to help her. How can I help her build her confidence again? Any ideas? We tried ballet but she didn't really like it.
Underneath it all, she's a kind and sweet little girl who has a lot of love to give (crying now...). Any suggestions?