How to Use Kindness Affirmations to Help Kids Be Kind

Inside: Help your kids be kinder to themselves and kinder to others with these kindness affirmations to remind them to speak and act with kindness.

Ugh. I’m such a bad drawer. This is so ugly.

I suck at soccer. I’m never going to score a goal.

This dress looks bad on me. My legs aren’t long enough.

Kids can be so unkind… to themselves.

And it’s just not okay.

So we have instituted the Backwards Golden Rule to help our kids be kinder to themselves: if you wouldn’t say it to a friend, you can’t say it to yourself.

My kids are kind kids and they know what a good friend looks like and sounds like.

But they often have to be reminded to be kinder to themselves and to treat themselves the way a good friend would.

Why?

Because we have to help our kids take care of their mental health.

We have to fill their inner dialogue and thoughts with positive words.

And for kids who don’t have the positive words, we have to give them those positive words.

And we can do that with Kindness Affirmations.

Why we’re raising our kids to be kind

Raising our kids to be kind is essential.

Not only will their kindness help make the world a better place, it makes them better people.

It makes them the best versions of themselves.

It is also scientifically proven when our kids are kind and they give their kindness out freely to the world without expecting anything in return, dopamine (the happy drug) is released in their brains. Being kind makes us happier.

Kind kids treat their siblings with kindness which makes for calm, happy, peaceful homes.

And a calmer, happier peaceful home, makes for a calmer, happier more peaceful mama.

But raising kind kids doesn’t happen overnight. And we can’t just cross our fingers and hope our kids turn out to be kind.

We have to intentionally make it happen.

We made be kind one of our only two family rules.

We talk about kindness with these 60 kindness discussion starters.

We read books about kindness, books about bullying prevention and how to be a good friend.

We participate in kindness challenges like this 100 Kindness Challenge and this Kindness Scavenger Hunt.

And we help our kids make a kindness promise.

But we also use kindness affirmations.

How kindness affirmations can help kids remember to be kind

We talk about kindness often.

We go over tricky situations and help our kids deal with unkindness.

But we also have to work on their inner dialogue and improve how they speak about themselves and how think about themselves.

Our kids have to believe they are kind in order to act with kindness.

And for our kids who aren’t quite kind yet, they have to believe they can be kind in order to be kind. To speak with kindness and to act with kindness.

They sometimes have to believe it before they can do it.

So we use affirmations to do that.

Because when we give our kids these words as truth and as facts, these statements will become their truth.

Affirmations work when we’re consistent, say them with confidence, and speak in the present tense as if we already believe what we’re saying is true.

And when our kids say these kindness affirmations daily, they will start to believe them.

They will replace negative self-talk with positive self talk.

Which will improve their mental health and help them find more inner happiness.

Kindness Affirmations for Children

We can use all sorts of affirmations to improve our mental health and our kids’ mental health.

But if we’re intentionally raising our kids to be kind, these kindness affirmations are a powerful tool.

I print these out (you can click the link below) and help my kids repeat them often.

They can say them daily as they’re brushing their teeth while they look into the mirror or when we’re tucking them into bed or on their way to school.

I am kind.
I am a kind girl/boy/person/kid.
I choose kindness.
I speak with kindness.
I say my words in a kind way.
I have a kind heart.
I think kind thoughts.
It feels good to be kind.
Even when I’m mad, I can still be kind.
I offer to help without being asked.
I am mindful of other people and their feelings.
I am a good friend.
I am considerate of others.
I include others and invite them to join me.
I want to be kind more often.
I spend time with other kind kids.
I stand up for others.
I am happy when I am kind.
I choose to be kind.

They’re also powerful to say when our kids forget to be kind.

When we’re discussing my kids’ unkind behaviors, I often say, “You are a kind kid, but you forget to be kind. I need to help you remember to show you’re kind.”

Because we can make unkind moments teachable moments.

Even when our kids are unkind… to themselves.

You can get the Kindness Affirmations Printable here: