This Is How To Beat Negative Self Talk In Kids

We all know the power of positive thinking. However, most of us also know that sometimes our negative thoughts can be louder.

Teaching our kids from an early age how to combat negative self-talk and to focus on their strengths is very important to set up healthy patterns for life. Research tells us positive affirmations are an easy, healthy way of doing this.

However, because kids face a lot of changes such as family issues, pressure at school, peer conflict and even bullying it can be easy for them to lose sight of the good stuff. Surrounding them with visual positive messages is a great way to help remind them and build their resilience.

A proactive bunch of parents from a school in Texas, USA put this into practice recently by painting their school’s bathroom stalls with positive messages.

The parents from Mary Moore Elementary School decided to embrace their principal’s new focus of “finding joy” by decorating the toilets with funky designs and sayings such as:

• Let your light shine
• Choose joy
• Your mistakes don’t define you
• She believed she could so she did
• You are a warrior
• Kindness changes everything
• You are enough
• You will move mountains

I’m not sure about you, but my recollection of school bathrooms is pretty bleak. At best they were dreary and dank, at worst, they were the source of angst due to mean girl behaviour.

Surrounding kids with such positive messages surely has to have some flow on effect to ensuring a better ‘vibe’ in not just the bathroom, but the whole school.

Positive messages like these are easy to use at home as well, with posters, love notes and message boards. In fact, many shops such as KMart and Typo sell stationery and even linen with similar sayings.

If you are looking for more great quotes to inspire your kids here is a great list of literary quotes.

My all time favourite comes from Winnie the Pooh:

You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”

— A.A. Milne / Christopher Robin

Do you think your school could benefit from an inspirational make over like this? Do you use positive messages around the home?

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