Children can be pretty hard on themselves at times no matter the age. If we can be completely honest, some adults can be really hard on themselves, too! Either way, it’s important to reframe negative thoughts so that they better serve you. For children, they need guidance from the adults in their lives in order to learn how to do this effectively. Here are some examples of what reframing the negative mindset can sound like.
- “I’ll never be as good as __________.” Instead guide them to say, “I did better than I did the day before. I’ve shown some improvement so I’m headed in the right direction.”
- “I just wasn’t meant to do this.” Instead guide them to say, “I’m making progress toward my goal.”
- “This is too hard.” Instead guide them to say, “If it were easy, I wouldn’t be learning. Learning will help me become smarter.”
- “I am not cut out for this. I just give up now! I am just going to embarrass myself, anyway.” Instead guide them to say, “I can do this! I’m going to get a mentor, set goals, determine my limitations and obstacles that might get in the way, and then come up with a plan for getting the job done!”
It is so important to guide children back to optimism. They have to have a sense of hope about their future possibilities. With hope comes motivation to learn and improved confidence.
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