If a young kid says he doesn't like himself, he just
may need to hear a quick, sincere, supportive, warm, heartfelt, and healing rebuttal that the listener likes him VERY much.
<3 Possibly followed by a few wonderful things about kiddo, including any gifted quirks like unique perceptions, observations which may seem beyond his years, sense of humor, etc. You may wish to make lists of positive attributes of your kiddo be ready to spout a few at a moment's notice, to redirect his thinking when that may seem the best appropriate response.
Helping kids see that there is good and bad in everything may help them accept their own weaknesses rather than dwell on them.
Learning what things they can change with effort may help as well. Changing something does not mean they were unacceptable or unlovable, it just means that they've determined that something was not serving them well or helping their day to day experiences of life. For example, a kid may not be able to control their height, but they may be able to improve ball handling skills or find another sport or interest which utilizes a strength they may have. Any changes do not need to be made from a deficit perspective, as a perspective of self-love combined with curiosity about developing any chosen skill may serve better to maintain optimism and resilience.
Sometimes a child's comment about liking one's self may be reflective of perceiving whether they receive a healthy level of affirmation, which can be a rare commodity for gifted kids who may be more attuned to older folk than the chronological peers they may spend time with day after day in the classroom.
The book, A Gifted Kid's Survival Guide can help kids realize they are not alone... while kids with very high intelligence profiles may be rare, there are others like them... out there... somewhere.
Another kid's book which is great fun for discussing/developing a general acceptance/awareness of the rich diversity of humanity (including one's self) has been around since 1980 or so:
People Over the years, well-known psychologists specializing in gifted kids have written many great books for parents. Available through Great Potential Press, Prufrock Press, and free spirit publishing, many deal with social/emotional and interpersonal issues. Of importance may be that gifted kids may reach a metacognitive awareness sooner than neurotypical kids.
Magination Press, imprint of American Psychological Association (APA), also offers children's books which may be of interest.
Wishing you all the best with this. Hope the play-date goes well!
