Best Positive Words For Kids: 70 Affirming Things To Say Right Now

Our words have a powerful impact on our children. They can build them up or tear them down. Check out our list of 70 positive words for kids. Use a few of these phrases every day to build your children’s self esteem and confidence.

Have you ever recognized your own voice in your child’s play? Children are wonderful mimics. They absorb everything that is going on around them and then mirror it in their play.

This is particularly true of words. Our children will copy our vocabulary, our accent, and any particular phrases we say often. Sometimes it can be quite funny. Other times it can be downright uncomfortable. Our kids pick up and carry our words with them from a very early age.

Think about this for a moment. Our words have tremendous power, so with a single sentence we can

• Affirm
• Heal
• Encourage
• Give hope
• Convey love
• Tell wonderful stories
• Express understanding
• Forge Connection

And those are all good things in families right? But as we all know words can also be damaging and harmful.

I recently watched a compelling video that talks about the power of words. Take a few moments and watch it now.

Pretty thought provoking right? This video really made me think about the way in which I used my words. As a mother it challenges me to consider the impact of MY words on my children. Take a few moments to reflect on the ways your words are affecting your relationships with your children.

Do your words

• Build bridges or walls?
• Display forgiveness, or harden hearts?
• Convey irritation or love?
• Build up or tear down?
• Express acceptance or shame?
• Make our children’s day?

Quite simply, positive words from significant adults do wonders for children. Do you remember the words of encouragement you received as a child? Did you have a parent, teacher or other family member that built up your confidence and helped you believe in yourself? Unfortunately the reverse is also true as discouraging words have the power to destroy confidence. This is powerful stuff and kids will carry these positive (or negative) words for years to come.

We need to be louder than all the other voices

As your child grows and moves out in the world, they will start to listen to the voices of others. The harsh voices of bullies and the even shriller voice of social media and commercials. Here’s the scary part – many of those voices will tell our kids they don’t measure up. We need to be louder and more persistent than those other voices. Let’s go on the offensive and let our kids understand how truly amazing they are.

Ready to get started? Below, you’ll find a list of 70 positive words for kids. These are things you can say to your children to praise, encourage and rebuild confidence.

Related: How to Discipline Without Hardening Your Child’s Heart

70 positive words for kids to start using today

Words of praise

Praise is a powerful thing, but it has to be used carefully or it can have a detrimental effect. Remember the 3 principals – be short, sincere, and specific. Most importantly it is vital to praise the effort or process,  rather than your child’s talent or intelligence. Read 6 proven ways to encourage Kids effectively (without side effects). Here are some phrases you can start using.

1. It’s generous of you to ….
2. I’m really impressed with how hard you worked on ……
3. You’ve worked hard on (describe project) and you’re doing great.
4. I like how you use words to describe your feelings.
5. You’ve really persevered at ….. look at what you’ve accomplished so far
6. I can see you’ve put in a lot of effort at….. you can do it.
7. I appreciate what a good (name trait) you are.
8. It was really helpful when you
9. You really worked hard on…… I’m proud of you
10. I appreciate it when you …
11. You figured it out ― that’s awesome!
12. I saw how you (name action) for (name friend). You are a really good friend.
13. You are getting better at
14. I appreciate the kind way you responded just then.

Positive words for kids when things are not going well

In general making mistakes is an important part of growing up. Mistakes can be one of the most effective teachers your children have. Children need to be reassured that mistakes are not the end of the world, that every situation is redeemable, and that they will be loved no matter what. Here are a few phrases to use when your child is having a hard time or has made a mistake.

15. There is no mistake bigger than my love
16. You are learning
17. You are growing
18. Let’s come up with a solution together
19. Can we start over?
20. Let’s take a deep breath together
21. How can you try this a different way?
22. I know we can fix this together. Tell me what you’re thinking
23. I like the solution you came up with.
24. I admire the way you are handling this challenge. Let me know if you need any help.
25. Your determination helped you overcome this obstacle.
26. Thank you for persevering to solve this problem.
27. You can say yes (to something you feel you deserve).
28. I love you, and I know you are doing the best you can.
29. Can you pinpoint when things got off track? What can you learn from this?
30. What do you think you can do about this?
31. It looks like you’re having a difficult time. Can you tell me about it?
32. You can say no (to your friends or things that make you feel uncomfortable).
33. You can do this. If not today, we’ll try again tomorrow.
34. You can change your mind
35. Everyone makes mistakes. That’s how we learn.
36. You can listen to your heart. It knows what you need and deserve
37. You can do this, (child’s name). I believe in you.

Related: The 6 Really Important Qualities of Good Parents

Encouraging words to use when you want to build confidence

We all want to build our child’s confidence. Here’s a few ways to cheer your child on and let them know you are proud of them.

38. Can you teach me how to ..
39. When you ….. That was a really good choice.
40. Your opinions matter to me.
41. I have faith in you.
42. You can ask for help when you need it.
43. What do you think?
44. We are a team and I will always have your back
45. I learn a lot from you
46. I’m excited about doing this with you
47. Let’s do it your way
48. I’ve noticed that your (friends/brothers and sisters) really enjoy being with you!
49. That’s a good question
50. It’s OK to feel . . .
51. Your (kindness/honesty/thoughtfulness)serves as a role model to me.
52. Thank you for reminding me how fun it is to play.
53. We can do this together.
54. Watching you grow up is the best
55. Thank you for sharing this with me.
56. I was just telling (name of important adult) how proud I am of you

Are You Looking for more positive parenting ideas?

Download Peaceful Families from the library. This FREE mini-book has 3 positive parenting techniques that every parent should know.

Encouraging words to use when you want to show love

Loving words can be used liberally throughout the day. They are particularly good phrases to use at bedtime or when you are sending your kids off in the morning.

57. I love to watch you ….
58. You are valuable to me.
59. Your ideas are wonderfully creative.
60. I enjoy spending time with you
61. You’re an important member of this family
62. I trust you!
63. We feel blessed to have you our my lives.
64. I am so glad to be your mum/dad.
65. You make me smile.
66. I will never stop loving you.
67. You are special to me
68. I love you just the way you are right now
69. You are important to me.

Just before I finish this post I just want to remind you of something important. We all live through days where everything seems to go horribly wrong. We wake up with the best of intentions and yet events seem to conspire against us and in frustration we can find ourselves yelling or spitting out harsh and damaging words.

Do not despair, for even on those hard days we have access to the most powerful words of all. We just need the courage to speak them.

70. “I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please forgive me.”

Getting Started

So are you ready to give it a go? You have 70 examples of positive words for kids. Think about how you might sprinkle these phrases throughout the day. Add a couple from the list each week and find ways to use them. Then watch your kids grow. Trust me. You’ll be glad you did