![]() ![]() ![]() It’s tempting for kids to hide their mistakes. Teach them to talk to themselves the same way they’d talk to a good friend. It’s important for them to get interested - and excited - about the type of future they can create for themselves.Įxercise: When your child says something like, “I’ll never be good at math,” ask them what they’d say to a friend who said that about themselves. Kids won’t ever reach their greatest potential if they’re completely passive about their lives or overly critical of themselves. So while their brains and their bodies might react to giving a speech as if it’s a life or death situation, assure them that it’s OK to face healthy fears - even when their anxiety alarm bells are ringing. It’s important for them to learn to assess risk and face healthy fears.Įxercise: Teach kids that their brain’s anxiety alarm is likely a bit faulty - everyone’s is. While a child might be quick to take a physical risk (like a bike stunt), they might be slow to take a social risk (like making a new friend). Whether they decline a favor for a friend or they say no to someone who asks them to cheat, teach them to show self-respect by delivering a direct no. ![]() FRONT ROW AMY HOW TOWhile you might think your kids say no to too often already - like when given opportunities to earn money or spend time with the family - it’s important for them to be able to say no to unhealthy things that come their way.Įxercise: Teach your child how to set boundaries by saying no to things they don’t want in their lives. Putting together a puzzle, coloring a picture, or playing a game can distract their brains and help them get refocused on things they can control. But worrying about things they can’t control drains them of the mental strength they need to be their best.Įxercise: When your child worries about something beyond their control, help them change the channel in their brain. Kids can easily get caught up in worrying about things they have no control over - like who their teacher will be next year or whether their team will win the championship game. They focus on things they have control over.Simply putting a name to an emotion - like sadness or anxiety - can take a lot of the sting out of them. Kids need confidence that they can adapt to those changes.Įxercise: Help your child label their feelings. Empower them to take responsibility by saying, “I’m angry,” rather than, “You make me mad.”įrom moving onto a new grade to trying a different sport, change is tough. Whether kids are experiencing friendship drama or they’re struggling with homework they don’t understand, it’s essential for them to take responsibility for their choices.Įxercise: When your child blames other people for making them angry or ruining their day, point out how to change their language. Those are their “mood boosters.” When they start to feel sorry for themselves, encourage them to pick an activity from their mood boosters list to help them feel better. ![]() When kids feel sorry for themselves, they insist their problems are too big to address and they become helpless and hopeless.Įxercise: Work with your child to create a list of activities they enjoy doing when they feel happy, like playing games or singing. But what’s not healthy is allowing that sadness to turn into self-pity. Here are the 13 things that strong children do and the exercises that can help them to think well and feel good as a result. If kids, with the help of their parents, can learn these skills now, they will set themselves up for greater success and mental wellbeing later in their lives and they won’t develop the unhealthy habits and thought patterns that rob adults of mental strength and wellbeing. So, she decided to write a book on mental strength for kids. The comment that Front Row Speaker Amy Morin hears most from readers of her books on mental strength is “I wish I had learned these things sooner”. ![]()
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