It’s never too early to think about learning to love yourself. It’s especially important for children, even as young as 10 or 11. In fact, self-love brings a life filled with friendship, respect, and good times. Furthermore, it’s not hard to do – just start using positive affirmations at an early age.

Being a pre-teen can be eye-opening for a kid.  To begin with, they know they’re not babies anymore.  At this point, words like cute, adorable, cuddly, and silly probably don’t apply to them. That’s because they’re growing up.

However, they aren’t yet teenagers.  Even though they’re becoming more and more capable every day, sometimes they feel like they don’t get the respect they deserve.  Perceived to be too young to know what to do, adults and even their peers will occasionally say and do things that hurt their feelings.

Self-talk can be good or bad.

You may find them talking down to themselves.  

• “I can’t believe I didn’t hit the ball even once.”  
• “I am so fat!”
• “I’ll never be beautiful.”
• “When am I going to be better in Math?”  

You get the idea.  Negative self-talk.  Pretty powerful stuff.  

Let’s see if we can replace the negative with something more uplifting.  

• “I am so good at hitting the ball.”  
• “My body is powerful and slim.”
• “I am like a flower blossoming a little more every day.”  
• “Today I am strong in Math; tomorrow I am stronger still.”

Positive self-talk is the only way to overcome the damage done by repeating unfavorable things.

Promote self-love by helping your child use positive affirmations.

Mirror work is helpful.

Practicing positive affirmations is so important that it’s become a part of some student’s curriculum.  As a matter of fact, my eleven-year-old grandson received an assignment to do mirror work with affirmations.

An early proponent of mirror work was Louise Hay. 

According to her website, she was dubbed “the closest thing to a living saint” by the Australian media.  Louise Hay is also known as one of the founders of the self-help movement. Her first book, Heal Your Body, was published in 1976, long before it was fashionable to discuss the connection between mind and body.

Louise believed the most powerful affirmations are those you say out loud when you are in front of your mirror.  That’s because the mirror reflects back to you the feeling you have about yourself. 

Learn more about Louise Hay and mirror work here.

A pre-teen learns about positive affirmations.

My grandson, Joe, was assigned to say his affirmation first thing in the morning. In addition, his mom wanted to do one as well. First Joe, “I am awesome! Today is a great day.“. Then, my daughter delivered hers. Finally, they spoke it to each other’s reflection in the mirror. As a final point, they confessed it made them happy.

They agreed that the use of positive self-talk could be a secret weapon for pre-teens.  And, it felt much better than when he put himself down.  “I think we should do this again,” he said.

Top Positive Affirmations for Pre-teens

“I am…”

• loved.
• happy.
• safe.
• a bright student.
• helpful.
• friendly.
• kind.

Also,

• I have faith in myself.
• I can do it.
• My body is strong.

Affirmation Cards

Affirmation cards make positive self-talk easy and make a great project.  In the first place, you’ll create and decorate a card for each affirmation.  Then, pick one to recite 2-3 times a day.  As a matter of fact, why not start and finish the day with an affirmation?  Couldn’t hurt!

On the other hand, an alternative to making your own cards would be a free online download of inspirational affirmation cards.  They are available at Kids Happy Apps.

Let’s start a movement and set an example for young people.

Positive affirmations for pre-teens is just the beginning. Let’s all make it a habit to speak to ourselves in a loving, gentle way. This Dance Safari post, “5 Affirmations for When You Need Encouragement” is a good place to start.

How about we all practice turning negatives into positives? All you need to do is say it out loud with feeling. Oh, yeah, and in the mirror!