Interesting reply Blast, we did something similar with our 3 kids.

My son was very shy about going to school when he was 4 years old, every morning was a struggle to get him on the bus. Over time this fear slowly faded but would arise ocassionally whenever he faced new or different situations.

When he was in Grade 1, the entire class participated in "Story Telling", where the children stood at the front of the class and told a short story about there life. My son was terrified the first year, but each year he became more confident and soon started to enter Public Speaking competitions. His new interest in this filter down to his 2 younger sisters and all 3 now have the confidence to speak in front of large groups of people.

Many youth sports, activities and organizations expose kids to new experiences. In this way courage is developed by confronting challanges and overcoming obstacles.

Mike