Affirmations for Kids to Build Confidence

Words are an incredibly powerful tool that can either lift us up in hard moments or bring us down. Positive affirmations are positive words - feel-good phrases that can help lift our Little Daydreamers when they’re weathering a hard moment in their life. Like learning how to walk and crawl, it’s a skill that needs to be practiced and repeated over and over again. It can never be too early to start and is a skill they’ll take with them as they grow. 

Positive affirmations can help your Little Daydreamer build a positive, growth mindset at an early age. Other benefits include: 

• Building self-esteem
• Building self-confidence
• Building resilience
• Building optimism 
• Developing socio-emotional skills early on
• Cultivate a positive self-image

Here are our tips to teach your Little Daydreamer positive affirmations at home: 

• Make it fun: Toddlers and preschoolers learn best through play. Below, we suggest some fun ways to learn affirmations like songs, books, and dancing.
• Read books: Choose books where the characters face a challenge or have a goal to achieve and invite your child to think of “what if” scenarios. 
• Add movement: Dancing is a fun way for your child to learn through movement and encourages self-expression. Another fun way to add movement is by asking them to create their own yoga pose or shape for the affirmation. 
• Make a song using affirmations: Music helps young kids learn sounds, words, and the meaning of words. You can make it fun by getting your child to create their own song. 
• Model it yourself: Kids are like sponges. They absorb everything in their environment and learn by seeing their caregivers in action. Allow your kids to hear you practice positive affirmations. 
• Make an affirmations poster or write it on a Post-it note: Kids are visual learners. Invite them to create a poster by drawing their affirmation. You can also get them to draw it on a Post-it note and stick it in their room or on the bathroom mirror so they see it and repeat it daily. 

Affirmations can be statements that start with “I am..”, “I can..”, and “I have..”. These are just starter sentences. Try them and see what resonates with you and your Little Daydreamer best. Some examples of affirmations include: 

1. I am loved.
2. I am lovable.
3. I am strong.
4. I am safe. 
5. I am loved. 
6. I am kind. 
7. I am caring. 
8. I am brave.
9. I am enough.
10. I am powerful.
11. I am funny.
12. I am calm.
13. I am focused.
14. I am creative. 
15. I am perfect just as I am.
16. I am a good brother/sister.
17. I am getting better.
18. I am helpful.
19. I can do it.
20. I can do hard things.
21. I can do anything.
22. I have great ideas.
23. I like myself.
24. I like trying new things.
25. My feelings matter.
26. Today will be a good day.

When kids are stuck in a fixed mindset like “I’m bad at xyz, so I can’t do it at all.” it can inhibit their growth. Developing a growth mindset at an early age will help shape how they feel and behave as big kids, teens, and adults. Positive affirmations are one way to start developing a growth mindset at an early age. Choose a 1-2 that resonate the most for your Little Daydreamer and see their self-esteem grow!