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Many adults find positive affirmations can be a valuable tool for boosting confidence and well-being. But did you know that little ones can benefit from them too?
In this article, we look at positive affirmations for children, including the many potential benefits and how to get started with your family.
Affirmations are positive words or phrases that people can say to themselves, often out loud, which can be used to help counter negative thoughts or feelings. The specific words or sentences chosen can be unique for every person.
They are nothing new, with affirmations known to have been part of life in ancient Egypt, Greece and across other parts of the world for thousands of years. Research studies show that positive affirmations can help to:
We can all think negatively about ourselves at times, which can have an impact on our confidence, self-esteem and motivation. Positive affirmations can have the opposite effect, helping people to feel more confident and able to face any challenges that may come their way.
Positive affirmations will often start with “I am…”, “It is…” or “I have…” and go on to express a positive thought or feeling.
When it comes to children, positive affirmations can have a real impact on their way of thinking, both about themselves and the world around them.
Repeating uplifting statements regularly can help children to:
Children are like sponges, soaking up experiences and learning from those around them subconsciously. This means that childhood is the ideal time to develop positive beliefs about themselves and affirmations can really help with this.
Children are never too young to start learning and using tools that will help elevate their self-worth and sense of well-being. As soon as your little ones start to understand and speak simple words and short phrases, positive affirmations can become a part of daily life.
Starting to practise positive affirmations in early years can also help set a lifelong habit of using simple phrases that are easy for young children to understand and say.
Even before this, parents and caregivers can incorporate positive statements about the child into songs and rhymes.
A good way to introduce and maintain regular affirmations with your child is to build specific time for it into your daily routine. Doing this in the mornings is often best, as it helps start the day on a positive note.
Being realistic, weekday mornings can be stressful for many families – with the rush of trying to get everyone up, washed, dressed, fed and ready to go for the day, so it can be helpful to incorporate positive affirmations alongside another morning task to help save time.
This could be when your little one is about to wash their face, or brush their teeth, for example. , for example. Taking a couple of minutes to look in the mirror and practise affirmations can be a great way to set the habit in place.
Another good time for some families to do affirmations could be during the nursery/school run, whether walking or travelling by car.
Understandably, the first few times you practise affirmations, it’s likely that your child will want to follow your examples. Once they are used to it, getting them involved in choosing what to say can be a great way to make sure that the affirmations are specific to their current mood and how they are feeling.
For very young children, talking to them about how they are feeling that day and using images of facial expressions to represent different emotions can be a good way to find out what kind of affirmations might be the most suitable for that day.
It often works best at first when you say the affirmation confidently and then your child repeats it three times, but once the habit has formed, children often like to lead the process.
Sticking to a couple of affirmations a day at first can be a great way to start things off gradually, adding a couple more as your little one becomes more confident with them.
Affirmations are most powerful when they are specific to every individual, here are some examples that you can practice with your little one:
Starting slowly and making sure that your little one understands the meaning of that day’s affirmations is important to help maximise the positive impact it can have. But most importantly, practising positive affirmations should be fun and a lovely way of bonding with your little one!
Kids Planet is a family-led group of early years settings across the UK. We understand the importance of positivity, confidence and self-esteem in little ones and how it all helps to build a great environment for learning and development too.
If you’re looking for a safe and nurturing setting for your child to experience all of the benefits of nursery and active learning through play, you can find your nearest nursery today.
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