A child’s first lessons about the world increasingly arrive through screens, algorithms, and social pressures that begin shaping identity earlier than previous generations experienced. Pediatric researchers and child development experts are paying closer attention to how these changing environments influence young minds, with studies showing that children can begin forming their sense of self-esteem as early as age five. Rising concerns around screen exposure, online comparison, bullying, and youth mental health have pushed parents and educators to reconsider what children need to develop before they face an increasingly complex world.
The stakes are becoming more visible. Heavy screen use has been associated with higher rates of anxiety, depression, and behavioral challenges among children, while surveys have found that many preteens struggle with body image and self-perception. The discussion around childhood development is expanding beyond academic milestones, raising a fundamental question: Are children being taught the emotional skills needed to understand their own worth?
Parents dedicate years to helping children learn how to read, write, and navigate the physical world, yet confidence is often treated as something that appears naturally with age.
Kia and Rickey Davis believe self-belief deserves the same intentional attention as any other developmental skill because the internal narratives children form early can influence how they respond to challenges later in life. The founders of Early Affirmation Dolls, a company centered on confidence-building through play, note that their perspective comes from personal experience as parents and Kia’s years working with vulnerable families as a case manager. Through those experiences, they believe confidence is not something children inherently possess, but something they practice, strengthen, and carry forward.
“Confidence is not something you’re just born with. It’s not like some people have it and some people don’t,” Kia Davis says. “We gain confidence by continuing to do something over and over again. It’s like riding a bike. You fall, you scrape your knee, but eventually you get back on, and you realize, ‘I can do this.’”
This belief became the catalyst for Early Affirmation Dolls, which uses play as a pathway for children to hear and repeat positive messages about themselves. The idea came from the couple’s own experience raising their daughter, who began hearing affirmations before she was able to speak.
“For us, it started as a conversation piece,” Kia says. “We started with them when she was a baby, so she wasn’t talking at all. As she grew and her development changed, those conversations became the foundation for what we wanted her to believe about herself.”
Rickey Davis saw those messages evolve from something introduced by parents into something his daughter embraced independently. The affirmations became part of how she communicated with others, including friends, family members, and classmates.
“I would hear her tell other people the affirmations without us saying, ‘Hey, what are your affirmations?’” Rickey says. “She knows them. She talks about them naturally. Even at school, she’ll come home and say, ‘We learned these affirmations today.’”
For the Davis family, that moment reflects a larger shift taking place in child development: emotional skills are increasingly being recognized as foundational rather than secondary. Kia points to the early years as a critical period because children begin developing their understanding of themselves long before many adults realize.
“By age five, kids have already developed a sense of self-esteem or have had some kind of encounter with self-esteem,” Kia says. “It really starts at home. We want to make sure we’re planting positive seeds from day one because the external world is going to come, and it’s coming faster than it ever has for previous generations.”
The company’s work has since expanded into educational programming, including confidence workshops designed for children and teenagers. Kia notes that the demand for those conversations revealed that families were seeking guidance alongside products that supported emotional development.
That focus also led Early Affirmation Dolls to pursue Mental, Emotional, and Social Health (MESH) accreditation, a third-party evaluation process examining products through a multidisciplinary lens. Kia highlights that the recognition reinforced the company’s goal of creating tools centered on children’s emotional growth, with Early Affirmation Dolls becoming one of only three dolls globally to receive the accreditation.
“For me, it wasn’t about needing validation for what we created,” Kia says. “It was about having a third party look at it and say, ‘This has value. This can have an impact on children.’”
The couple emphasizes that confidence-building is not about protecting children from every difficult moment. Instead, Rickey believes it gives children a stronger foundation for handling criticism, setbacks, and uncertainty. “People think words of affirmation mean nobody will ever say anything negative to you,” Rickey says. “That’s not reality. People can still challenge you, but confidence changes how you receive those moments and whether they become something that holds you back.”
The need for those messages, Kia adds, does not disappear with childhood. She recalls a customer in her 50s who purchased a doll because the affirmations represented words she wished she had heard earlier in life. Words that connected to her inner little girl. The dolls provide such affirmations as, “I’m beautiful,” “I’m smart,” “I’m strong,” and “I’m going to change the world.”
“That really touched me,” Kia says. “It shows that there are people who still need those words, even as adults.”
The future of childhood development may depend on recognizing that achievement is shaped by more than what children know; it is also shaped by what they believe about themselves. Kia and Rickey argue that confidence should not be left to personality, chance, or circumstance. It is a skill that can be nurtured at any age.
“Words matter,” Kia says. “Even if your child is 10 or 12, you can still build confidence. It’s never too late to start.”
A child’s view of themselves becomes one of the strongest influences they carry into the world. The Davis family champions that belief vehemently, striving to ensure that more children grow up hearing messages that remind them they are capable and valued, whether that impact begins within their family, their community, or something much larger.
