Why are affirmations important?
An affirmation can be considered as new terminology referring to the practice of positive thinking and self-motivation. Typically an affirmation should start with the term ‘I am’ followed by a positive statement or thought e.g. I am loved, I am smart etc. Using the term ‘I am’ encourages people to speak positive statements about themselves, even if they don’t yet believe it.
Many adults use affirmations as a daily tool to alter negative thinking patterns and enhance self-confidence. While affirmations are beneficial for adults, encouraging children to use affirmations daily can be highly influential in their learning and development. Research shows that positive affirmations can be used as an aid to enhance a child’s social and emotional development which is essential for development later on in life, including academic success (Szente, 2007; Darling Hammond & Cook- Harvey 2018).
Children’s self-view is highly influential and malleable, and depending on their surroundings this can result in positive or negative thinking. Affirmations allow children to outwardly say statements that they may not understand or agree with at first but as time goes on they start to internalise and express these statements outwardly. The more you hear something, the more you believe it to be true, so why not speak positively, to reap positive thoughts and actions?
Another benefit is that affirmations allow children to become resilient against other people’s thoughts and opinions. People will always have an opinion, but if you know internally who you are, external opinions won’t matter, and it’s crucial this journey of self-love and positivity is started in early childhood while children can still be highly influenced in a positive way.
My First Affirmations, is a tool that aids the beginning of this journey to self-love and positive thinking patterns. ‘My First Affirmations' is a deck of 26 flash cards which are alphabetised to match an affirmation. Each card is double-sided, and the front is aimed at learning vocabulary e.g. A is for Adventurous, and B is for Brave. However the back of the card displays the affirmation encouraging children to make it personal e.g. I am Adventurous, I am Brave. This product can be used by parents with their children to support their emotional and social development as they are the most influential individuals in a child’s early stages of life. With the support of parents and these cards, children will be able to enhance their confidence and self-esteem and become resilient to outward negativity as they have internalised positive thoughts towards themselves and believe them to be true.