Teaching children how to have a positive mindset is one of the best ways to set them up for a healthy and satisfying life. Positive thinking helps people to recognize the good things in their life. When one only thinks about the negative aspects of their life, it increases worry and stress and this can impact their mental health. When one’s mind is always focused on the negative, it can magnify a minor disappointment into a bigger problem. Teaching your children to think more positively, will give them the growth mindset that will help them to handle negative situations and life’s challenges. Plus, research has linked positive thinking to lower stress levels, less depression, an extended life span, improved emotional well-being, and improved coping skills.
In my home, I started practicing positive thinking strategies with my children when they were pre-schoolers. Here are some things that I have done to help my children to become positive thinkers.
1. Establish a daily gratitude practice. At my house, we have some bedtime rituals of reading and prayer so it was a good time for us. It doesn’t matter what time of day, just find a time in your day and be consistent. Start by having your child name 2 things that were good about their day. It may be hard at first for kids to pick out these moments so they may need some guidance. And it doesn’t have to be some big event either. It can be a small thing like having their favorite muffin at breakfast. Eventually, your child may start naming the same things as my kids did. You want this to be authentic That’s when you change the question on them. Here are some other questions you could ask. What made you smile today? What was your favorite moment today?
2. Positive influences. Teach your children to seek out positive people and avoid those who can bring you down. A negative mindset can be contagious and rub off on you; however, so can a positive one in a good way. Talk to your child about the people in their lives and whether or not they are a positive or negative influence.
3. Mantras. Help your child come up with a phrase that they can say to themselves when they are thinking negatively or that can help them to get through difficult times. Examples: I can do this. All is well. I choose happy thoughts.
4. Thought management skills. Negative thoughts will come, that is inevitable. However, you can manage these thoughts by responding to yourself. One strategy kids can use is to talk to themselves like they are their best friend. Have them think about what they would say to a friend who was experiencing those same thoughts. . So, if they failed a test and the thought was, “I am so dumb!”, ask them what would they say to a friend if they were experiencing this? Tell them to be your own best friend and say this to yourself.
5. Positive visualizations. Children often have great imaginations so put this strength to use by encouraging them to create a positive visual scene in their head. This could be their “happy place” scene or a happy memory of theirs. Tell them to practice this visualization frequently so that when they get down, they can train their mind to “visit” this place or remember this moment. You can also teach them to visualize positive outcomes to challenges they are facing. For example, if they are worried about an important game, tell them to visualize themselves playing great and then giving high fives to all their teammates after the game.
These are just a few of the ways you can encourage your child to think positively. With anything, consistency is key. If you encourage these strategies to be a part of their daily routine, positive thinking can become a way of life for them!
