Do you know that everyone has an inner voice that speaks to us often? This internal dialogue can be positive or negative affecting our day -to- day actions and health. When it comes to success in life, you must encourage positive self-talk to overcome toxicity as an adult. Likewise, the same should also be taught to your kids as well so that they nip negative thought patterns in the bud. Today’s post will give you an insight into the importance of positive self-talk and how you can pass this habit over to your child.
Self-talk has a major impact on how we think, feel and act. If children are taught on how to positively talk to themselves early on in life, they can overcome negative thoughts in a healthy manner. Engaging in positive self-talk boosts self-esteem, builds confidence, enhances motivation, and most importantly helps them to face problems bravely. In short, positive self-talk shapes their optimistic perspective towards life and its challenges as they grow into adults. Following are the ways to teach your child on how to engage in positive self-talk
1. Be a role model
You can start off by being a role model for your kids at home. For instance, you can use phrases like the following-
- It’s a wonderful day today!
- Today is going to be an amazing day!
Or for instance, if your child gets one bad grade at school, you can say-
- It’s just one bad grade and you’ll be fine!
The goal here is to motivate your child to make him/her feel better so that as they grow up, they will inculcate the same in their lives as well.
2. Create a list of statements for positive self-talk
Affirmations and a list of statements for positive self-talk helps your child to understand what they mean. Later on, your kids can make their own list and repeat the statements to themselves daily. For instance, some positive statements are as follows-
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- I am healthy and happy.
- I am a kind and helpful person.
- I am an amazing person
- I have confidence and courage.
3. Discuss the benefits of positive self-talk with your kid
Simply practicing positive self-talk with your kids will not help them understand their importance. Tell your child about their benefits and how he/she can use their statements to overcome negative thoughts and fears. In the beginning you may feel silly reading these statements aloud with your child, but in the long run, this routine is highly beneficial as it controls the silent thinking in their heads.
4. Use charts and paper crafts to make the habit of positive self-talk interesting
You can create a chart with different colors for writing down the 10 best positive statements for your child to look at every day. You can out the chart up on the bedroom wall of your child so that he/she can look at it first thing in the morning when they wake up. Likewise, you can make small items like flash cards or a paper flower chart with the positive statements written on the petals for your child to look at daily.
5. Changing negative thoughts into positive statements
Every time your child comes up with a negative thought, both of you can sit down together to change it into a positive statement. For instance, your child might say “It is raining, I can’t go out and play.”. Instead you can encourage your child to say some thing positive like for instance, “I can play indoors with Lego and build something nice”, or “Let’s play Snakes and Ladders together”. Transforming negative thoughts into positive activities helps your child to tackle problems later on in life too.
From the above, it is evident that your child does not need a counsellor or a therapist to start positive self-talk. Simple things can be done at home with your kid. As a parent, you not only teach your child the significance of positive self-talk but you also prepare him/her for the world as they grow up. Children who engage in positive self-talk are more confident, have a higher sense of self-esteem, and are more successful with their studies and career as adults than those that don’t!
