Learn the importance of positive affirmations and start incorporating them into your family’s daily routine. To help get you started, we’ve created a list of positive affirmations for kids to help boost their confidence, self-esteem, positive self-talk, and overall wellbeing. This time of year can be a challenge for so many families and individuals for a variety of different reasons. With notable dates like Blue Monday and Bell Let’s Talk happening in January, mental health is a growing topic of conversation…and for good reason! With the ever-growing need to expand our mental health resources, positive affirmations can be a powerful tool to have in your toolkit.
What are Affirmations?
Affirmations are positive statements that can help challenge self-doubt and other negative thoughts. Often phrased as “I am” statements, affirmations can help build a routine of positive self-talk in both adults and children. Ultimately (and with lots of practice), positive affirmations can improve how the brain responds to stressors by framing obstacles in a more constructive way.
According to WebMD, it’s important for children to know that positive self-talk takes practice. “Just like they need to run and play to make their muscles and heart stronger, practicing positive self-talk helps their minds get stronger so they can make healthy choices.”
Why are Positive Affirmations Important?
With daily practice and repetition, using positive affirmations can improve our resiliency, self-confidence, emotional regulation, how we react to stress, as well as decrease feelings of anxiety and depression. It’s essential for children to know that negative thoughts are okay and that they will happen, but it’s how we deal with them that’s important!
PositivePsychology.com outlines the psychological research supporting positive affirmations, explaining that they can help change the way we think and feel about ourselves and our abilities. Simply put, positive affirmations help us pause for a moment, catch our negative thoughts, and choose our self-talk more mindfully.
Positive Affirmations to Get You Started!
Here’s a list of 50 positive affirmations you can teach your child and say together as a family. Choose one (or a few) to focus on each day or print out the whole list for your child to refer to daily. However you choose to use positive affirmations, they are an important mental health tool to use and practice every day!
- “I am loved.”
- “Being myself is awesome!”
- “I choose to be happy today.”
- “I will use kind words and thoughts about myself.”
- “I am strong, I am brave, and I can do this.”
- “I carry love and kindness in my heart.”
- “I am proud of myself.”
- “I have good ideas.”
- “I’ve got this!”
- “I don’t need to be perfect. I am enough.”
- “I am kind, I am smart, I am caring.”
- “I have value.”
- “I am safe and secure.”
- “I am calm as a river and go with the flow.”
- “I control my actions. I control how I think and feel.”
- “My body is relaxed and my mind is at peace.”
- “I am helpful. I enjoy doing things for others.”
- “Failure is a part of life. It is okay to fail.”
- “Today I did my very best.”
- “I am grateful for all that I have.”
- “I have the power to face my fears.”
- “I am beautiful inside and out.”
- “My mistakes help me learn.”
- “I can be whatever I want to be.”
- “It’s okay not to be the best at everything.”
- “I stand up for myself.”
- “I can do difficult things.”
- “I am a problem-solver.”
- “I am allowed to take a break if I’m overwhelmed.”
- “All I need to do is take the first step.”
- “I can be kind, even when it’s hard.”
- “I choose my words with kindness.”
- “I speak respectfully to others.”
- “I care about others’ feelings.”
- “It’s okay to ask for help when I need it.”
- “I can make a ‘bad day’ better.”
- “My body can do amazing things!”
- “I am kind and gentle to my body.”
- “I can grow healthy and strong by taking care of my body.”
- “If I don’t get it right the first time, I can always try again.”
- “I have the power to say ‘no’ if I’m uncomfortable.”
- “I set healthy boundaries for myself and I respect others’ boundaries.”
- “It’s okay to feel sad sometimes. I can take quiet time when I need it.”
- “All feelings are okay.”
- “I know right from wrong. I make good decisions.”
- “My feelings are important.”
- “I treat others the way I want to be treated.”
- “I care about my friends and family.”
- “I am a good listener.”
- “Positive thinking is a choice I make.”
Craft: DIY Positive Self-Talk Flower
A Positive Self-Talk Flower is a fun and interactive activity that will get your children involved in making their own positive affirmations in a captivating and hands-on way.
Materials:
- Construction paper
- Scissors
- Marker
Instructions:
- First, start by having an adult cut a flower shape out of construction paper or you can download our printable.
- Help your child write a different affirmation on each flower petal. Feel free to use some of our suggestions above or brainstorm your own!
- Fold each flower petal into the center and have your child lift each petal one at a time, repeating the affirmation on each petal.
There are many resources out there to help you and your children get started with using positive affirmations. Teachers Pay Teachers is an online resource full of worksheets and activities created by educational professionals. Check out their affirmation worksheets to use at home or in the classroom.
