5 Ways to Help Your Child Think Positively

Highly sensitive children (HSC) often err towards the negative. An important part of parenting a highly sensitive child is to help your child think more positively.

Why So Negative?

Highly sensitive people analyse situations in detail; they think deeply about things that have happened and the repercussions they can have. That applies to our children too.

Deep thinking is a trait that makes highly sensitives cautious. It triggers us to pause before acting. We weigh up the pros and the cons. We consider the dangers.

Sometimes though a child focuses so much on the negatives, or possible negative outcomes, it becomes unhealthy.

Here’s are 5 ways to help your child think more positively.

1. Positive Affirmations

A simple written statement hanging on a wall in a child’s bedroom can make a huge difference. I know because it’s something a counselor created with one of my sons and I saw it have a positive impact.

One read simply: Today is a new day. Another: Today will be my best day.

Simple short sentences, but a potent reminder to my son that whatever happened yesterday is gone and today is a new chance to have a fantastic day.

He’s now older and facing different issues so we’re currently constructing new affirmations for him, as we work through his Big Life Journal.

TIP: Big Life Journal early Black Friday deal – buy one, get one 50% off!

Happy Sensitive Kids Positive Affirmations

You can download the Happy Sensitive Kids positive affirmations using the links below:

Empty Bucket Positive Affirmation

I love Being Me HSK Positive Affirmation

Its Hard HSK Positive Affirmation

The More I Practice Positive Affirmation

Today is my best day!

Tip: Positive affirmations work for adults too……

2. Reframing Thoughts

Having negative feelings is not something we should banish. Negative feelings are as valid as positive ones. However, we need to help our children when they process those negative feelings in an unhealthy way.

Negative thoughts can seriously affect a child’s self-esteem.

When negative thoughts become such a big hurdle that they become self-defeating it’s time to help a child reframe their thoughts. We need to help our kids before their negative self-talk dominates.

So how do we reframe negative thoughts? Focus on common negative thoughts that your child has. Examine the language that your child uses – is there a never or an always in there? Help your child find alternative words to express their feelings. Help them understand that there’s always a way to turn negative into positive.

Turn “I always get this type of math question wrong. I’m so stupid” into “There’s one part of this type of math question I don’t understand yet, but I am on the right track.”

You can support a child reframe negative thoughts with positive thoughts by asking whether their thought is a helpful or an unhelpful one. And then by asking them how they could change their thought into a helpful one.

Move from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.

3. Journal or Talk About the Fun Stuff

Turning negative into positive can be as simple as writing or drawing about the good stuff that day in a journal. Or putting all the things a child is grateful for onto paper. It’s a simple but effective way of focusing on the good, positive aspects of a day. Read: Fill a Page to Empty a HSC Mind and Why Journaling is So Good for You.

Just talking, listing the great things that day can be effective. I stood at bedtime with my son talking about the day. He was feeling a bit down for some reason or another and so we talked though his week, focusing only on the fun stuff he had done. He sat up, turned to me and said, “Actually I’ve had a great week haven’t I?”

It’s a great tool to take a child out of a negative moment so they can see the bigger picture.

4. Build Self-Esteem

Celebrate the positives.

Help a child learn where their talents and strengths lie.

Praise effort and not the result.

One of the best ways to help build a child’s self-esteem is to spend time with them. Nothing tells a child they’re fun to be with more than being with them. Drop everything now and again and just be with your child. Show them they are worth your time and dedicated attention.

There are great tips on Parents.com to help you boost a child’s self-esteem.

5. Make Your Home a Positive Environment

If you want your child to think positively, then model positive thinking in your home. Model compassion. Model empathy and kindness. Including being kind to yourself. Model positive self-talk.

Remember that HSCs are sponges when it comes to emotions. If you tend to see the glass as half empty rather than as half full then they are prone to pick that up.

If you are feeling negative, or stressed, then turn your focus to emptying your own bucket before you try to help your child.

Decorate your home with artwork containing positive statements and mantras.

Hold a weekly family meeting and celebrate and praise each other.

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*For your convenience, this post includes affiliate links to products and books I find useful for the HSK community. They cost you nothing more to buy, but I get a small commission.*