What are positive affirmations for kids?
During these challenging and uncertain times, it’s important to remain hopeful, and positive affirmations are a great way for students and educators to start the day. But what are they?
Positive affirmations are ideas and phrases that help us overcome negative thoughts and feelings.
Typically, they are limited to only a few words so that they can be easily remembered and repeated.
And for kids and adults, they can be an effective tool to help us achieve our ambitions and a way to ward off negative self-talk.
How do kids benefit from positive affirmations?
When we believe something will come true, either positive or negative, it is much more likely to be the case. So why not use that to our advantage and focus on the positive?
In fact, we know from research that when we focus, we reinforce areas and pathways in our brains to make them more resilient. And with these new pathways, we reduce the influence of prior, negative pathways.
Over time, by focusing on positive affirmations, kids can shed their negative self-talk and gain a sense of confidence and well being.
Instructions for using positive affirmations
We’ve compiled a list of 50 positive affirmations for kids, and we recommend that you share one affirmation each day, or one each week, as part of a morning meeting with your students.
- Choose one affirmation from the list below
- Tell your students that you are sharing a few words to help them think positively and feel better
- Say the phrase out loud, and ask students to repeat it back to you
- Even if you are working with your students remotely, encourage them to look directly at you
- Repeat step 3 several times
- As a group, talk about what the words mean and why they help improve our outlook
- Ask your students to repeat the affirmation several times during the day and especially when a negative thought pops into their head
Note: You may want to use these positive affirmations in conjunction with our Affirmation Cards for Kids lesson or have students include their favorite affirmations in a Social Emotional Learning Journal. And as always, if you have students in need of additional SEL support, please take a look at our online, SEL interventions.
List of 50 positive affirmations
- I am an amazing person
- My best is enough
- I will have an amazing day
- I can be anything I want to be
- It’s okay not to know everything
- I have confidence and courage
- I am smart
- Today will be great
- Today I will spread positivity
- I will make a difference
- I can make my dreams come true
- I am ready to learn
- I make good choices
- I trust my decisions
- I am important
- I have people who love and respect me
- I can do anything
- I am strong and determined
- I matter
- I am capable
- I am unique
- I make other people feel better
- I accept myself for who I am
- I believe anything is possible
- I can get through anything
- I want to do my best every day
- I’m going to push through
- I’ve got this
- I will take a chance
- I will get through this
- I am relaxed and calm
- I will take deep breaths
- I choose my attitude
- I stand up for things I believe in
- I surround myself with positive people
- I make the world a better place
- No matter how hard it is, I can do it
- I will think positively
- Today I will be confident
- Today is a new beginning
- Today I will work through my fears
- Today is going to be my day
- Everything will be okay
- I am thankful for today
- I will be present in the moment
- I get better every single day
- My problems have solutions
- I forgive myself for my mistakes
- Challenges help me become stronger
- I will do better next time
