Last Updated on February 14, 2023 by Christin
Teaching your kids to use affirmations can be an extremely powerful way to help them live successful and happy lives. By teaching kids to use affirmations, you are giving them a tool that they can use to improve their self-esteem, focus on the positive aspects of their lives, and achieve their goals.
Do Affirmations Work For Kids?
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If you’re interested in using affirmations with your own child or a child you know, there are a few things to keep in mind to make them work.
First, make sure that the affirmations are realistic and age appropriate. There’s no point using an affirmation that they don’t understand, such as ‘Life is going to work out, no matter what happens.’
Second, encourage kids to come up with their own affirmations- this will help them to feel more ownership over the process. Help them understand what affirmations they might feel good about and what affirmations they want to believe the most.
Finally, don’t forget to model the behavior yourself! As adults, we set the tone for the belief systems of the kids in our lives – so if we want our kids to believe in the power of affirmations, we need to believe affirmations are important too.
What Kind Of Affirmations For Kids Should You Create?
When making affirmations for kids, it is important to keep in mind what they are most likely to need or want to hear. You should also focus on making affirmations that are realistic and achievable for them.
For example, some affirmations that you may want to consider for kids include:
- I am happy and loved.
- I am safe and protected.
- I am healthy and strong.
- I am amazing.
- I am a good person.
If you have or know a kid who is suffering in one area of their life, then you can create some affirmations that may help them in that area of life.
For instance, if a kid is being bullied, you may want to create affirmations such as:
- I am confident and brave.
- I am loved and accepted.
- I am valuable and worthy.
- I can stand up for myself.
- I am safe and protected.
Make The Affirmations Fun!
Affirmations should be fun! You want your kids to enjoy using affirmations, not see them as a chore. One way to make affirmations more fun for kids is to create affirmations with music.
You can either find affirmations online that already have music or you can create your own affirmations and set them to music yourself.
For instance, Snoop Dogg’s affirmations are focused on positive affirmations around fun music. This will likely appeal more to younger kids, but as an adult, I found myself singing along as well, so…
How To Encourage Your Kids To Use Their Affirmations Daily
The key to making affirmations work for kids is to encourage them to use their affirmations every day.
One way to do this is to create a daily affirmations ritual that your kids can do each morning when they wake up or each evening before they go to bed.ย This ritual can be as simple as having them repeat their affirmations out loud 3 times while looking in the mirror or saying their affirmations as they wait for their breakfast.
You may also want to consider having them write their affirmations down on cards or paper and having them carry them around with them to remind them to use their affirmations throughout the day.
Creative Ways To Get Kids To Say Their Affirmations
Sometimes kids don’t understand the value of affirmations and would rather do something else instead, but as adults, we know the importance of affirmations. So, it is important to find creative ways to encourage kids to say their affirmations.
Some ideas include:
- Make a game out of it where they have to say their affirmations 10 times before they can get a reward.
- Create affirmations set to music or have them sing their affirmations.
- Create an affirmation jar or buy one already made where kids can write affirmations on slips of paper and then put them in the jar. Then have them pick one out each day to focus on.
- Use storytelling to put affirmations in the form of a story that they can read or listen to. Or have them create their own stories using all of their affirmations.
25 Daily Positive Affirmations You Can Use With Kids
If you are stuck for ideas on affirmations that a kid in your life can use, the following 25 ideas will help. They will help a kid foster a healthy outlook on themselves and their abilities in life.
Remember to pick affirmations that resonate with the kids you want to use them with.
1. I am loved and accepted just as I am.
2. I am safe and protected.
3. I am healthy and strong.
4. I like to learn.
5. I am a good person.
6. I am confident and brave.
7. I am valuable and worthy.
8. I can stand up for myself.
9. I am happy.
10. I love myself just as I am.
11. I enjoy spending time with my family or friends.
12. I like making friends.
13. I am special and unique.
14. I have great ideas.
15. I am allowed to make mistakes and learn from them.
16. It’s okay to be different from everyone else.
17. I have everything I need inside of me to be great.
18. I am always learning and growing.
19. I like to laugh and have fun.
20. I like to help other people.
21. I like to do good things for other people.
22. I have a lot of love to give.
23. I can be whoever I want to be.
24. I always do my best.
25. I am kind.
10 Morning Affirmations For Students
If you want kids to have some healthy morning affirmations to use before school, the following 10 are great affirmations to use.
1. I like school and learning new things.
2. I am excited to see my friends today.
3. I am going to learn a lot today.
4. I am going to be a great student today.
5. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens at school today.
6. Today is going to be a great day.
7. I am grateful for this day.
8. I am open to new possibilities today.
9. I am excited to see my teachers.
10. Everything is going to work out just fine today.
Are There Affirmations That You Should Avoid With Kids?
While affirmations are mostly positive and helpful, there are some affirmations that you want to avoid using with kids. These affirmations can actually do more harm than good.
Some affirmations to avoid include:
I am perfect
This affirmation can create unrealistic expectations and pressure for kids to live up to. Too many adults nowadays were desperate to be perfect as kids and please the adults in their lives, and they carried that desperation over into adulthood where it has taken a toll on their mental health.
We need to stop trying to make kids perfect and instead let them make mistakes and learn from them.
I am never going to make any mistakes
Because mistakes happen a lot, this affirmation can stop kids from taking risks and trying new things for fear of making a mistake.
I don’t need anyone’s help
An affirmation like this can make kids feel isolated and like they can’t rely on anyone.
Everything always goes my way
This affirmation can set kids up for disappointment when things don’t go their way.
The bottom line is to avoid affirmations that are unrealistic, pressure kids to be perfect, or make them feel isolated. Instead, focus on affirmations that encourage growth, bravery, and resilience.
Final Thoughts On Affirmations For Kids
Affirmations are a powerful tool that can help kids to improve their lives in many different ways.
By teaching kids to use affirmations, you are giving them a gift that will keep on giving for the rest of their lives. They will understand the power of positive self-talk and how affirmations can help them navigate life with more happiness and success.
