Positive affirmations are such a great tool for kids and adults alike. I’ve been doing them with my daughter recently. At three years old she commonly found situations where she was stuck and not able to complete what she was hoping to do. Such as climb a ladder or go down a scary slide.
I taught her to say “I can do it!” in hard situations and it seemed to help give her the confidence, but it also felt like something was missing. The affirmation was there, but the work behind it was absent.
I needed her to learn that yes, she can do it, but she needs to put in the work to get there. So I adapted her affirmation.
“I can do it if I try.”
We can get so caught up constantly telling our students, “You can do it! You know you can do it! I know you can do it!” But maybe what we are missing is reminding them of the work they must put into it in order to accomplish the goal.
“You can do it if you try.”
“You can do it if you practice.” because not everything comes right away.
Try it out and tell me if you think it makes a difference.
What positive affirmations do you practice with your students and children? How have they helped you as well?
Photos by Kayla Wright