5 Simple Ways to Promote Children’s Positive Attitudes
You want your children to succeed as parents. Teaching your children how to have a happy attitude even when things are novel or a bit challenging is one method to help set them up for success. When children are continually dealing with the difficulties of learning new things, having to pay attention to and follow rules established for them by adults, and just growing up in general, it can be difficult for them to maintain good attitudes. Kids can learn to have good views about life and the world around them by being given the necessary tools and growing up in a (mostly) positive environment.
WHY POSITIVE ATTITUDE IS KEY
Because it is beneficial for both your physical and mental health, positive thinking is crucial. When someone adopts an optimistic outlook on life, they are more likely to handle stress better, have stronger immunity, suffer from depression less frequently, and even live longer. Studies have even shown that being positive enhances memory and problem-solving skills.
People with optimistic attitudes are also reported to feel happier and have higher levels of life satisfaction than those who have more negative perspectives. Positive attitudes tend to make people more self-assured. They are kindlier and more respectful about themselves. Additionally, they frequently exercise, don’t smoke, eat better, and sleep better.
Having a positive outlook on life as opposed to a negative one makes it simpler to manage your emotions and think logically. When you strive to think more positively, it is simpler to look at a situation and see it for what it is rather than assigning blame or jumping to the conclusion that the universe is out to get you or is unfair and bad. Unhappiness is a product of negativity. Happiness is a product of positivity.
AND WHY IT CAN BE DIFFICULT FOR KIDS TO KEEP A GOOD ATTITUDE
Neuroscientists have discovered that children’s inner voices tend to be particularly negative because of feelings of uncertainty and fear, thus it is especially crucial to promote positive attitudes when we are explicitly thinking about children. This indicates that children often think negatively about what is happening in their daily thoughts. They have ideas such, “Those kids won’t be friends with me because I’m a loser,” or “Of course, I didn’t make the soccer team because I’m bad.” You may even recall what it was like to have these kinds of thoughts when you were younger. You might even be thinking these things right now.
In addition to these unfavorable inner beliefs, children of all ages frequently hear “no.” They are prohibited from doing a variety of things, many of which are prohibited for very good reasons. Numerous stress-inducing hormones are generated in the brain when we hear the word “no.” Learning how to silence that critical voice inside of you from an early age is crucial since the interaction of inner negativity and these stress chemicals can result in poor mental health.
PROBLEMS DO NOT GO AWAY WITH POSITIVE ATTITUDES
All of this is not to argue that educating children to overlook negative things or that they will never have negative thoughts or challenging experiences is necessary in order to promote a happy attitude. There will be bad things that happen. There isn’t anything positive about being mistreated, for example. There will be negative events, even tiny ones that recur frequently. Children may experience difficult days, low academic performance, or exclusion from friend groups.
It’s not necessary to encourage children to see the bright side of every scenario if you want them to develop optimistic mindsets. The glass cannot always be seen as half full under all circumstances. It implies that you are educating them to avoid developing the habit of viewing everything negatively, which is something entirely different.
It’s okay to feel sad or angry occasionally. There are times when something is difficult or frightening, and it is difficult to look on those situations positively. Having negative feelings or accepting things as they are without judgment is perfectly acceptable. Encouragement of positive attitudes should focus on empowering people to break free from negative thought patterns for the rest of their life rather than trying to eliminate all negative thinking (which is neither practical nor beneficial).
INSTRUCTING GOOD ATTITUDES
You may foster good attitudes in your children from an early age by doing a variety of activities.
1. SHARING YOUR EMOTIONS
Positive attitudes can be promoted by talking about and acknowledging your feelings with your children. Kids must have a solid awareness of their emotions and how they are feeling in order to think positively. Teaching kids that all emotions are acceptable is the first step. Any negative emotion, including anger, sadness, happiness, excitement, and anxiety, is acceptable. The next step is for them to comprehend the reasons behind their sensations and what they can do to deal with them. This is the secret to breaking the habit of constantly thinking badly and being down on oneself.
Understanding their feelings is important, but it’s also important to be able to process them and know what to do with them. Allow your child to express their feelings and the reasons behind them if they are upset about anything. You can reassure them that while it’s normal to feel unhappy about something, those bad emotions will pass quickly. Kids are less prone to fixate on negativity over time if they realize that these kinds of emotions are fleeting.
By empathizing with them, you can also assist kids develop positive attitudes. Inform them that you are aware of their feelings. only expressing, “I know how you feel. Even though I would also be upset, you now have to decide what to do. You can discuss options as a pair to help them hone their problem-solving abilities. An optimistic attitude that prevents them from ruminating on the issue or the distress is known as a problem-solving attitude.
2. TEACH POSITIVE CONFIDENCE
In stressful situations, it is simple to become mired in negative ideas. While it’s crucial for kids to be able to recognize and express their feelings, it’s not good for them to get mired in unfavorable emotions for too long. Positive affirmations can assist divert the mind from those pessimistic ideas and break your kids’ negative self-talk habits.
Simply put, positive affirmations are sentences that counter negative thinking. Optimistic affirmations’ ability to foster positive attitudes is supported by solid scientific evidence. This research is supported by a psychological theory known as self-affirmation theory. According to research conducted with this hypothesis in mind, practicing positive affirmations causes actual changes in a person’s brain, with the processing of self-related and positive information becoming more active.
Repeat encouraging words to and with your children starting when they are small (or even now, regardless of their age). Positive affirmations will gradually replace their negative thought patterns when they are used more frequently. In terms of positive affirmations, there are no rules. Let your children add affirmations that speak to them after you start with things that promote happy attitudes. Start with affirmations like “I can do hard things,” “I am strong,” “I am enough,” and “I am proud of who I am.”
3. COMPLETE THEIR BUCKETS
In order to teach children about their feelings and emotions, the idea of filling their buckets is frequently employed in preschool and primary school. Everyone is supposed to be carrying an invisible bucket. When that bucket is full, the individual feels content, secure, and joyful. When that person’s bucket is empty, however, they experience upset, sadness, and unhappiness. Children learn to recognize when their emotional bucket is full or empty using this approach.
Children also learn that it’s possible to fill other people’s buckets with empathy and kindness, or to be a bucket filler. This enables individuals to comprehend the impact that their words and deeds have on other people. By being kind to others, you can fill their bucket. You can empty their bucket by being cruel. This concept not only teaches children how their actions affect others, but it can also help them understand how their own actions and words affect them—a negative inner voice empties their bucket, whereas a positive inner voice fills it.
Use this strategy to help your children develop positive attitudes. Every chance you get, fill their buckets. Inform them when they excel at something. Mention how kind they are. Let them know they’re smart. Tell them that they are nice siblings. As you fill their bucket, they will begin to fill their own bucket as well.
4. CONSIDER SUCCESS A LEARNING OPPORTUNITY
Everyone blunders. Make that extremely apparent from an early age, first and foremost. Then, instruct children to view their setbacks as opportunities to learn and grow rather than concentrating on them or teaching them that failure is a terrible thing. Remind them that it’s acceptable to experience uncomfortable feelings after failing. Next, remember that obstacles are not something to beat oneself up over. Instead, encourage them to take failures as opportunities to grow and find solutions.
Talk to your child about their failures, whether it’s a poor grade on an assignment, being cut from the squad, or being bad at something. Encourage them to discuss their errors and consider what they might do differently or better the next time. At the same time, be sure to recognize and applaud your children’s efforts in whatever it was that failed. Tell them that you are pleased of them for trying and giving it their all, since they are crucial things for them to remember. All of this will enable them to view situations more favorably and maintain a happy outlook even when things do not turn out as they had anticipated or desired.
5. EXEMPLOY BENEFICIAL THINKING
Being a positive role model for your children is crucial, just like it is for most things you wish to teach them as parents. Even when you think your children are not looking or paying attention, as a parent you know they are. So, model for your children how to remain upbeat in the midst of difficulties. For their ears, speak aloud about your own mistakes or frustrations. So that they can observe it in action, practice positive self-talk and affirmations. If you demonstrate how to do it, your children will learn how to express themselves in a healthy way and maintain a good outlook even when things don’t always go their way.
