Negative Self Talk
Empowering Kids to Overcome
Negative Self-Talk
Once children can tell the difference between thoughts and
feelings we can actually teach them to spot their own negative
thinking. It is important children have strategies to change those
negative thoughts.
When you hear your child using negative self-talk for example,
saying things like “I’m not cool enough to be in their group.” or “I
am not smart enough to take honors chemistry” you as the parent
must challenge the negative thinking.
Help your child to replace negative thinking with a more realistic,
and positive, thought. It is important to help your child make a
plan for the next time their negative thinking creeps up. Talk
about: Where or when does it usually happens? Talk about: What
strategy could they use to manage it?
If a child can tame their negative thought, this will have a big
impact on negative feelings and behaviors and lead them to be
more self confident, ultimately leading to their ability to deal with
ups and downs of life. Stopping negative self thoughts can lead to
kids being able to control their happiness.
