By: Kindergarten Teachers
As parents and teachers, we know the importance of children getting the nutrition, hydration, sleep, and exercise they need. While those things are crucial for their physical survival, positive affirmations are just as important for their emotional and mental well-being. What you put into your child is what you’re going to get out of your child. If they only hear negative comments about themselves, they will begin to display more and more of those negative traits. When we are children, we are learning behaviors and wiring our brain, this is why affirmations are so effective with children. They will carry these valuable affirmations with them throughout life.
It is important that we learn to take control of our belief systems, and the younger that we can learn this, the easier it is. This can be done just by affirming the positive beliefs that we would like to grow with. Negative beliefs can impact our lives greatly and can be hard to shift as we grow older.
Affirmations are ~ ‘to affirm to one’s self ‘. Positive words that are absorbed by the mind to create your belief system. Affirmations are a powerful and holistic way of building a positive mind, and happier children. Nurturing their authentic self, and helping them to enjoy the magic of childhood.
If your affirmation is “I am wonderful, just the way I am” and you are told you are… stupid. The affirmation will come to mind to remind you of your belief. You will then be thinking. ”I’m not stupid, I am wonderful!” Without a positive belief, you may take on the one just given to you…believing that you are stupid. The more an affirmation is repeated, the stronger it becomes.
This is why affirmations are so important for children. When we are children, we are developing foundations on which to grow. Once we have matured, it is very hard to change those foundations.
At school, our students often dwell on the competition: for instance, thinking others are smarter, faster, prettier, etc. We need to help them to realize that they are enough by being just who they are and competing only with themselves. Above all, repeating daily that they are enough can help to change a mindset of trying to best others into trying to best only ourselves.
Kids receive labels from others very early in life, such as shy, rambunctious, a bit aggressive, troublemaker. These labels live in the minds of our kids shaping them to believe that they do not need to treat anyone any differently than how they always have. We can help change that negative mindset into one that will live on in them forever. Teach them that kindness counts and matters and it is within them!
Here are some positive affirmations that we can use in the classroom:
- I keep trying even when it is hard. I won’t give up.
- I can do challenging things.
- I will be kind to everyone.
- I am a good friend.
- I am helpful.
- I treat others how I want to be treated.
- I am worthy.
- I am special.
- I am unique.
- I am me.
- I am loved.
It amazes us how what seems like a simple statement is an affirmation that changes progress. Consequently, students begin to believe that they can do better and state that to themselves do better! Incredible! Let’s start these affirmations today!
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