While it’s understandably hard to be a mom today, we often forget and overlook the challenges that kids are facing. It’s not just hard to be a parent, but it’s also hard to be a kid. One of the best parts of motherhood, to me, has been being able to influence, encourage, and support my family on their journey. One way to get started with this is to take a look at the list of affirmations to tell your kids today.
Affirmations To Tell Your Kids Today
Keep this list of 21 positive affirmations to tell your kids today in your parenting toolbag whenever your child needs a pick me up, boost of confidence, or extra support.
1. You are so strong.
As we all know, life isn’t always easy. When challenges arise, reminding your kids that they’re strong encourages them to see themselves that way, which will lead not only to strength but also to perseverance and resilience.
2. You are smart.
No matter what your child’s IQ is or whether they’re “behind” or “advanced,” they deserve to be told they’re smart. There’s no blood test for smart. Being smart is relative. This means it’s up for grabs in terms of describing someone as smart. There’s no downside to this because when kids think they’re smart, they’re focus on becoming that.
3. You’re such a good problem solver.
Being a kid is, in part, frustrating because of the learning gap. To get from not knowing how to do something to knowing how to do something, there’s a gap, and in that gap often is a lot of frustration. When you use an affirmation like this, you encourage problem solving to overcome that learning frustration.
4. You always keep trying.
When you notice your kids continue to try something, reaffirm what you see. They’ll remember this and start to believe it’s part of the type of person they are, which will help them work through future challenges.
5. You are creative.
Part of growing up means learning how to be practical and follow the rules. Over time, this can squash a person’s creativity. If you tell your child they’re creative, then they’re more likely to see themselves that way, despite cultural persuasion away from it.
6. You’re kindhearted.
Imagine if, as parents, we made as big of a deal about our kids’ acts of kindness as we did their grades. Can you even picture it? Instead of telling the neighbors your child was chosen for the gifted program, you brag about how they held the door for someone walking into a building. This is focusing more on the internal than the external and it will lead your kids to do the same.
7. You’re a good friend.
As kids grow up, it’s common to have friendship challenges from time to time, much of which is outside of their control (e.g.: how their friends treat them). What is within their control is how they treat other people, and if they believe they’re a good friend, that’s what they’ll make true for themselves.
8. You are important.
The human brain is wired to compare people to one another. One way to teach kids not just to care about others but to care about themselves is to remind them that they, too, are important.
9. You’re curious and ask good questions.
Kids ask a lot of questions and are often discouraged from doing so. This prevents growth, risk taking, and creativity. It results in heard mentality. When you foster their curiosity, this leads to increased confidence, independence, and problem solving.
10. You are brave.
Feeling scared and afraid is not only a part of childhood but it’s also a part of adulthood. When your kids believe they’re brave, being scared or afraid isn’t as big of a problem. They learn to feel the fear and do it anyway.
11. You are good inside.
There’s no behavior that changes a person’s self worth. A child who is acting “bad” or “defiant” is taking action they may result in consequences. But this does not impact their worth. The more you tell a child they’re good inside, the more they’ll see it themselves and act from it. Even the child with problem behaviors can change from this type of support and encouragement.
12. You’re beautiful.
You can help your child see their own inner and outer beauty that’s dependent on no one else. It’s not relative to another person but instead is intrinsic to them. All humans are beautiful, and there’s only an upside to helping kids see this, too.
13. You can get through anything.
The only thing that’s certain about life is it’s uncertainty. Having a growth mindset encourages kids to work through problems, even after they feel stuck or like they’re failing. This teaches them to keep going when the going gets tough.
14. You can do hard things.
Learning new skills, navigating relationships, and growing up includes doing hard things. Feeling empowered to navigate hard things comes from the belief that doing hard things is possible, and you can teach your kids this mindset with this affirmation.
15. You’re always learning and that’s amazing.
Learning can get a bad rap when you’re a kid because it’s hard. When you reframe it as a skill with amazing benefits, this can help kids embrace learning as a good (and even fun) thing to do.
16. You are so good at feeling your feelings.
Kids are born with the full range of emotions but no skills to manage them. This is why toddlers have tantrums and older kids fight. They’re not regulating and processing their feelings. When you teach your kids that feeling feelings is a good and useful skill to cultivate, you encourage emotional intelligence, which will serve them forever (there’s no point in your life where you stop feeling anger, frustration, etc.).
- Related: A Fun Feelings Exercise To Do As A Family (blog post)
17. You are healthy.
Helping your kids build a loving and supportive relationship with their body starts by teaching them what to think about their own body. Even if they have challenges with their body (including abnormalities, delays, diagnoses, etc.), you can still use this affirmation to teach them to trust their body and that their body is doing the best it can, and for the rest, there is modern medicine to help. I like to remind myself there’s no blood test for “healthy” so thinking I have a healthy body, even if my body has challenges, only strengthen’s my relationship with it.
18. You have unlimited potential.
Instead of looking externally for what they’re capable of, help your kids see that they’re capable beyond measure; that they never have to stop growing. Show them that growth is a fun part of life that never ends, and that that’s a beautiful thing.
19. You are fun.
This affirmation for your kids shows them that they can bring the fun to anything they want. Fun isn’t outside of them in where they are or what they’re doing, but instead, fun is who they can choose to be whenever they want.
20. You are confident.
Confidence doesn’t mean knowing how to do something. Confidence means not knowing and having your own back even if you make a mistake or fail. Confidence in yourself is what matters most. This is a skill worth practicing.
21. You are loved and loving.
When a child knows they’re loved, they feel a sense of belonging, which is a desire all healthy humans have. The second part of this (that they’re loving) helps them see that they have a capacity to love others that encourages them to be compassionate, caring, and kind.
A Final Note
This list is just the beginning. You can add to this list of affirmations with your own thoughts (that you create) as your kids grow and evolve.
Remember with affirmations, you’re not forcing kids to think in a certain way, but instead, offering them suggestions and alternatives to think differently, for their own benefit. This is why focusing on teaching kids how to think is more important than teaching kids what to think. This is the work I teach my clients how to do inside Mom On Purpose Membership, my wellness community for moms. I’d love to see you inside. XO
