Having internal dialogues in your mind can affect your beliefs, emotions, and behavior. These internal dialogues are called self-talk. Self-talk is ultimately what we consider fact, it’s what provides us with confidence and motivation from within. By using positive self-talk, you can navigate everyday challenges and make better decisions. Kids need to be taught how to engage in Positive Self-Talk, so that they too can learn to navigate everyday challenges, make better decisions and make positive self talk statements.

How to Explain Positive Self-Talk to Kids

When teaching your child about positive self talk, you can help simplify its meaning to your child by explaining it this way; “when something happens during the day that makes you feel a little sad or you are faced with a challenging situation, it might be that your schoolwork is hard or maybe you were playing with a friend when something happened that made you sad”.

In that case, you have two options

1. Try saying something positive to yourself to keep yourself calm, stay positive, and keep striving.

This is called positive self-talk

2. It is also possible to talk negatively to yourself, which will only make you feel worse and upset you more.

This is known as negative self-talk.

Parents should let their children know that the more they practice positive self talk they easier it will become for them to use it in every situation where they feel sad or start to feel bothered.

You can further explain that the opposite of positive thinking is negative thinking, which distorts your perspective and makes you feel stressed. While some people are better at avoiding negative self-talk or at redirecting their thoughts to positive ones once they realize they are thinking negatively, others struggle with it.

Kids need to know that when they face the ups and downs of each day, positive self-talk builds self-esteem and can help them stay positive and focused. It is a way to change your perspective in order to surround yourself with positivity and begin to develop positive thoughts.

How to Teach Yourself to Talk Positively

As parents you can encourage positive self talk by letting your kids know that the ability to speak positively about oneself comes from understanding one’s strengths. The key is to be aware of the situations and triggers that cause you to fall back on negative thinking when the opportunity arises.

By maintaining a positive attitude through developing positive self talk, they will be able to manage stressful situations more effectively.

It is also worth mentioning to kids that positive self-talk can help you with things like,

• grieving

• visualizing

• Sleeping

• Working with others

• Improve your social-emotional learning

• Your physical health

The brain contains tiny structures called neurons. During learning and practice, neurons make connections with each other and your brain is strengthened by these connections.

According to scientists, you have anywhere between 70,000 and 80,000 neurons in your brain each day. Researchers have found that the more positive self-talk people used, the happier and healthier they were.

Benefits of Being Positive in Life

Seven things you can Tell your Kids to Engage them in Positive Self-Talk

1. Suppose you want to master a skill that requires a great deal of practice and is challenging. Positivity and encouragement are positive ways to talk to yourself

2. Practice makes it easier, so the more you do it, the easier it becomes to make positive statements

3. Whenever you make a mistake, tell yourself that it’s OK to make mistakes and that your brain makes more connections when you learn from your mistakes.

4. Tell yourself that my brain has the power to solve problems whenever you face a challenge in your life or that of someone else. Doing this will improve how you feel about your situation.

5. If you’re planning to learn something new, but you lack motivation or it seems difficult, tell yourself that learning new things makes your brain stronger!

6. It’s important to remind yourself that we are all unique and special. We all deserve love for who we are.

7. Remember that the more time you spend practicing, the healthier and happier your brain will be.

RELATED: Why Do Teenagers Reject Parents’ Solutions to Their Problems

How Positive Self-Talk Helps Children

As you fill your mind with positive affirmations;

• You will find this to be beneficial for your health.

• Helps you manage stressful situations better and reduces stress

• Relieves anxiety. By speaking positively to yourself, you reduce your worry and anxiety

• Building confidence and self-esteem

• Makes you realize your worth and makes you value other people

• Feeling happy, energized, and optimistic can be enhanced by positive inner thoughts                                  

• Boosts mood and reduces depression

• Helps improve mental health

How to Practice Positive Self-Talk for Kids

When children don’t have anyone guiding and helping them understand the difference between negative and positive self-talk, and in particular how to practice positive self-talk, they will develop a negative outlook about themselves which may lead to low self-esteem in the future. It is there for the parents job to teach kids to engage in positive self-talk more often.

Children learn by imitating what they see around them, so, it is the parents’ responsibility to model positive self talk for their children. You can start by encouraging your children to talk about their feelings. Teach your child that there is no such thing as an incorrect feeling.

By using positive self-talk, they can turn a negative feeling into something positive. Make sure your kids know that there are two types of self-talk, and introduce them to simple but effective ways to practice self-talk. Help children understand that practicing positive self-talk will be beneficial in their achieving their goals.

Some Real Life Examples of Positive Self-Talk for Kids

positive self-talk can look and sound like this;

• Maybe you’re really stressed about homework or responsibilities you have to do, so instead of worrying about this, you can try telling yourself the following;

 “I know I have a lot to do but I can handle it, I can do this! Saying these words to yourself can motivate you and maybe even make whatever you have to do see lighter.

• Another way to practice positive self-talk is when you are feeling sad because you don’t have things that others might have that you wish you had,

You can say to yourself, that’s OK I don’t need this thing to feel complete, positive self-talk can be as simple as telling yourself that you’re awesome or smart.

Why Positive Self-Talk Important for Optimism

Teach kids that when they start feeling negative about themselves, which could lead to negative self-talk, they should pay attention to their surroundings, like what’s going on around them, focusing on whether there a specific problem that’s making them need to give themselves positive self-talk.  

They should take a minute to consider those things first, trying to understand what they have done so far to solve their problem, talk to them about the importance of practicing to remain positive and also have them start thinking about what they need to do moving forward. Teach your child to give themselves compliments where its due.

Here is an example of a common scenario you can share with your kids to help them learn the importance of positive self-talk.

• My schoolwork is a lot, and I don’t feel like doing it, even though I have done similar work before.

• I know that if I work hard, even though I don’t feel like it now, I can achieve my goals. In the future, whenever I feel unmotivated to do my work or about myself, I’ll remind myself of this.

Final Thought

We all need to be aware of that whenever we imagine ourselves to be responsible for all the terrible things in our lives, we are personalizing. When we filter, we focus on negative information while disregarding positive information. People are often left feeling helpless by these negative thought patterns, but they can develop more rational and positive thought patterns over time. In order to have a positive self-image, one must focus on positive self-talk rather than negativity.

Start talking to your kids regularly about the importance and benefits of positive self talk.