There are times in life when we all feel upset, sad, lonely, anxious, weak, scared or vulnerable. And if we feel all this as adults, its equally normal for kids to experience these emotions at various stages of their life. The best thing we can do with these emotions is to help kids to identify them and deal with them as best they can.
What are affirmations?
Affirmations are small easy phrases or sentences that kids can keep repeating to themselves to feel positive or calm. Like: I am happy, I am courageous, I am kind.
How are they useful?
Affirmations are a source of strength to children. They help them keep their confidence even during trying times. Hearing affirmations, does wonders even to an adult’s confidence. And bringing up a child with helpful affirmations, reinforces positive prep talk in them. By repeating these affirmations many times, they sort of become like a mantra which a child can lean back on for confidence when they deal with stuff alone. Affirmations usually are great when it comes to countering negative self-talk like: I can’t do it. This is hard or I can’t do well in Math.
How early should we start affirmations?
It’s ideal to start affirmations when kids start learning to talk and start expressing themselves. This is also the time when they start socializing and also hear positive and negative thoughts.
How to practice affirmations?
Depending on how confident your child feels the affirmation can be repeated three to six times a day. Some parents create new affirmations based on the stage of life their child is in. For instance, a toddler who is scared of riding a bike, can repeat ‘I can master new skills’ Or a 6-year-old who is afraid of the dark can say ‘I can overcome any challenge because I am calm and collected’
When to repeat affirmations?
Affirmations can be chanted as many times a you like and whenever you like. I like to repeat them when we are brushing our teeth together at night before bedtime. And repeating them doesn’t mean saying them out loud. It can be repeated in your mind as well! My son like to say his affirmations ‘I’m cool, I love my friends and school and I’m gonna have a great day’ each day as he leaves for school. As a parent I like to repeat ‘Momma loves you, Daddy loves you, you’re the nicest boy ever’ each night just as he falls asleep!
How to write affirmations?
Affirmations should be used to turn your negatives into positives. So if your child feels like he wants to change something about himself like he wants to be able to speak to other children without being shy, he can repeat ‘I am confident while speaking to people’
A list of simple affirmations to begin with:
-I give out positive energy
-I am growing and learning each day
-I can do anything I want
-I am proud of myself
-My family loves and supports me
-I am happy
-My mistakes help me learn
-I can’t control others but I can respond to them better
-I love to laugh it off
-I can always speak to my parents about anything.