Kids Become the Way They Think 

As we enter the New Year, it's the perfect time to reflect on our parenting methods. Let's set positive intentions for our children's growth. One crucial aspect to consider is the development of thinking patterns. Just as a plant needs sunshine and water to survive, your child needs a positive mindset to bloom. Let's examine five toxic thinking habits and how we can help our children overcome them for a brighter future.

 

Turn Her "I Can'ts" into "I-Cans."

1. The 'I Can't' Dilemma: Is your child trapped in the grip of "I can't" thoughts? This self-limiting belief can slow her progress. She may resort to the easy way out when faced with challenges, saying, "It's too hard." 

The antidote? Encourage her to take small steps and celebrate each achievement. By fostering an “I Can” mindset, she'll realize that every effort contributes to success, no matter how small.

 

Teach Him that Failure is a Steppingstone to

Success.

2. The Mistake Magnifier: Does your child magnify mistakes and stop trying?  Giving up could seem easier. Perhaps he fears failure. The fear of failure can shrink growth. It’s important to emphasize that mistakes are stepping stones to success.

Mistakes help us. Mistakes tell us what doesn't work. They say, "Stop repeating my errors. Try something else." Help your child view errors as ways to learn and grow. Show him how to break down problems into easy steps. You'll be helping him overcome his fear of failure. By accepting his mistakes, he can try new ways. He can start on a journey of continuous growth.

 

Turn "I'll Never Understand This" into "I Am

Understanding This Page by Page."

3. The Generalizer: If your child uses sweeping words like "all," "every time," "always," and "never" in negative statements, she might be falling into the trap of generalization. Generalizations exaggerate and are rarely true. Challenge her exaggerated statements by asking her, "Is, 'I'll never understand this really true'?" or is it an exaggeration?" Help her recognize that using such words leads to discouragement.

Teach her to drop her sweeping statements. Then focus her attention on breaking problems into smaller bits. By encouraging clear language, you guide her toward a more positive and realistic view of herself, her problems, and the world.

 

Teach Him to Recognize the Truth in Your Compliments.

4. The Compliment Problem: When your child rejects compliments and turns them into personal criticism, it could be a sign of fuzzy thinking. Perhaps he's convinced himself he's not good enough.

Make sure your praise is specific and something he cannot deny. "Doug, I like how you wash your sheets and make your bed each week." Then teach him to accept your approval with a smile. You'll be turning his negative thoughts into honest beliefs about himself. His self-esteem will grow. He'll start to become a clear thinker too. 

 

Avoid Promoting Helplessness by

Doing Her Work for Her.

5. Mountain or Molehill: Does your child turn everyday chores into mountains? She may even try to prove she is helpless. She needs to face her tasks.

Empower her with honest praise whenever she completes a small responsibility. Use specific words to help her realize she can do things for herself. "I like how carefully you dried and put the dishes away." She will want more of your approval and rely more on her abilities. Keep teaching her more age-appropriate tasks and compliment her with specifics when she achieves them. 

Boosting Positive Mindsets: You are invaluable in shaping your child's attitude. Changing negative thinking into positive mindsets isn't an overnight process but it is worth the effort.  Don't give up.

Here are three puzzles for your child  to unscramble and discuss in fostering positivity this New Year:

1. Unscramble this word, KIMSATES, and discuss how it can help you grow.
2. Unscramble this word, SMTEIDNS, and discuss why a positive one is important.
3. Unscramble this word, LEBOPSRM, and discuss why these help you think.

 

Enter Code: POSITIVE at www.KidsDiscuss.com

Answers to the 3 Puzzles:

1. Mistakes
2. Mindsets
3. Problems

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Children CAN learn to control their self-talk.

Lou Tice, speaker, motivator and founder of the Pacific Institute, taught the 3 parts in goal-setting. He said that good goal-setting starts with the thought, then the picture, and then the emotions that go with them. When we put them altogether, they become our self-talk. He said  "Control your self-talk and you control your life."

 

Speaker and

Motivator

Many years ago, I viewed a film in which he taught goal-setting. Immediately, I saw its value. I knew I could teach this technique to adults and children in my counseling practice. The following is an example:

 

I can't.

Fearful Negative Self-Talk

1. The thought - “I can’t give my book report in front of the class.”
2. The picture – the class is making fun of me.
3. The emotion - fear

When we say, see, and sense it altogether and keep recycling it, it becomes our painful reality. As Lou Tice said, “We move toward our pictures (the pictures in our head).

We don’t have to think negatively. We can control our lives with positive self-talk. We can teach our children to set goals with positive self-talk too. But how? I'll show you soon.

Brave Positive Self-Talk

1. The thought - “I am giving my book report with confidence.” (Use “I am” as if it is happening now.)
2. The picture – The class is listening and smiling. (Look at what you would see, not yourself – see your class.)
3. The emotion - confidence.
4. Finally, put the positive thought, picture and emotion all together in one moment and do it each morning and night. This is the way to set goals, be successful and create a happier life.

We can control our destiny by controlling our self-talk. Let’s instruct our minds to create positive pictures with positive self-talk using this simple method.

This video shows you how:

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You can teach your child how to choose winning

feelings.

Building Character in Kids that Develop the Feelings of Joy and Enthusiasm:

"When we accept tough jobs as a challenge. . . and wade into them with joy and enthusiasm, miracles can happen." - Arland Gilbert

Your child becomes a winner when he approaches life with joy and enthusiasm. But when your child’s spirits are down, he won't want to try. Goal setting offers him a way to learn the magic of optimism. Here are two ways you can help him feel the magic.

 

Why Brad Chooses to Try

2 Parenting Tips – How Brad Creates a Winning Spirit

Let's say your Brad loves soccer but he's an average player. His last practice was a disaster. He's told you that he'll be standing on the sidelines this season. Now he mopes around the house. Your heart goes out to him. You ask him if he'd like a way to create winning feelings. He nods. Here's what to do:

Goals - 2 Ways Kids Create Winning Feelings 

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How to Help Your Child Reach Goals

Goal setting with pictures fit together like fun and laughter. Both end with feelings of joy and contentment. Yet many grown-ups don’t experience this. They fail to turn their dreams into goals. Don’t let this become your child’s fate. Childhood is the best time to teach your child the tools for setting goals.

“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.” - Anthony Robbins

The Parenting Tip – How to Picture the Goal:

To make her goal visible, teach your child to mentally picture what she sees as she looks outward from herself. Tell her to do this mental picturing as if she is accomplishing her goal right now. Let’s examine this parenting tip further.

The Parenting Strategy – An Example for Picturing the Goal:

If your Katie wants to learn how to dive, pretend you are sharing this conversation:

"Katie, what would you see before you dive off the diving board?"

"I'd see my feet and the water."

"What if you tucked your head in toward your body?"

 

Katie Sees Her Feet and the Water.

"I'd see the water and my feet on the edge of the diving board."

"Picture the water and picture your feet on...

Read More

Find out how your child can reach  goals with pictures. So easy. You'll also receive a gift - How to Turn Your Child's Self-Beliefs from "I Can't" to "I CAN!" You'll find your gift at the bottom of the article.

https://www.kidsdiscuss.com/#/article/210

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How Moody Kids Become Happy Children

Your sulking child won’t talk. You ask yourself:

1. Is she mad at me for saying, ‘No.”
2. Did her brother tease her about the pimple on her chin?
3. Has her best friend dumped her for a new girlfriend?

You can torture yourself or not.

Choose to teach your child good communication skills instead. Skills that help her talk about her problems before painful thoughts grip her mind.

Recycling resentment, hurt, fear, blame, and sadness can become your child’s lifelong habit. Recycling negative thoughts hurts. Talking about problems and solving them feels good.

The following solutions are for both girls and boys.

3 Ways to Rescue Kids from Moodiness

 

Listening Helps Kids Share Their Feelings

      1.Listening

        Good listening by parents builds trust. When children trust parents will hear their problems without arguing or criticizing, they talk.

        It takes many talks to teach children the communication skills they need. By listening well, parents are teaching good communication. Kids will learn to listen in return.

        Find a sample parent/child conversation that’s easy to use at Listening Chats.

2. Repeating Motivational Sayings

 

Repeating Positive Sayings Motivates Kids

        Teach children through repetition. Use motivational thoughts for your child to absorb. Here are a few:

           “The most beautiful smile belongs to those who make others smile” Mahnoor Tahir

          “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”  Mark Twain.         

          “The best sleeping pill is a clear conscience.” Dada J. P. Vaswani

Repeating upbeat motivational quotes helps your child remember them. They become her inner self-talk.

Get 5 more quotes that my mother used to motivate me. I passed them on to my children too. Family Sayings.

3. Creating a Fun Home-life

 

Family Music Night

•  Once a week have a ‘Family Compliment Night.’
•  Help kids ‘Write a Newsletter’ for your expanded family.
• Each night Discuss One Act of Kindness each member did that day.

Pick up 5 more fun events for your family at Bright Attitudes

Conclusion: How to Help Your Moody Child

1. Use conversations to teach good communication skills that solve problems.
2. Repeat motivational quotes for kids to absorb.
3. Put fun events into your family life.

For more in depth ideas go to:

How Parents Turn Dark Moods into Bright Attitudes

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Disorganized Kids Need Routines

A disorganized child lacks the inner self-discipline needed for solid learning. A youngster who lives in a chaotic home may feel scattered and have trouble focusing. A daily routine at home can help.

Attention Span – The Boy Who Couldn’t Concentrate

Years before I became a child and family counselor, I taught school. Ricky sat in the back of my second grade class of fifty students. He played with toys, teased kids near him, and day-dreamed. My efforts in the classroom were not enough to focus him. The school lacked important resources like counseling.

In addition, Ricky came from a chaotic home. Breakfast, dinner, family time, chores and a set time for homework didn’t exist. Ricky fended for himself.

His mother said, “I’m tired of mothering.” Ricky was the youngest of several children.

Ricky’s noisy home-life needed a daily schedule because children succeed best with predictable routines. Without them, kids often feel insecure, uncertain, and mentally scattered. 

Disorganized Children - How to Develop a Homework Routine

Help your child focus and succeed in school. You’ll find lot’s of ideas including parenting guidelines for rewards, consequences, and even a contract to help your child become more organized and successful. It's a FREE  slide share. Just click on each slide.

How Parents Help Disorganized Kids Focus and Succeed

 

Organized Kids Focus and Succeed

You may also like these videos:

6 Ways to Help Your Child Concentrate

and

Smart Kids – 6 Intelligent Question for Smart Brains

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How Parents Can Motivate Kids with Good Questions

It’s not difficult to raise smarter children. But many parents use the wrong tactics. They don’t know praising kids for goods grades and criticizing them for poor grades can backfire.

Why Praise and Criticism Often Fail

Research says many kids want praise so much that they limit themselves to easier tasks. Why? Because they know they’ll succeed. It’s not the way to expand their brain power.

Criticizing kids for poor grades can increase their low self-esteem, fire up their resentment, and convince them to give up.

Kids need to know that their brains grow with deeper thinking, solving problems, studying well. Don’t let them think, “I can’t get it. I’m not smart.”

 

"You challenged yourself and figured it out!"

How Parents Can Prepare Kids for School

Want to increase your child’s brain power? Today's slide share includes 6 smart attitudes to promote, 6 smart questions to ask, and 6 slogans for motivating kids.

Praising kids for good grades is not as effective as asking the right questions to increase your child’s love of learning. When your children feel good about their thinking skills, see learning as a positive challenge, and develop a determination to keep trying, their brains grow. Use these simple fun solutions for promoting smart brains in your children.

One more thing, these questions can be used for kids sports, music lessons, chores and more.

 

"I solved a hard problem and my brain got smarter!"

Click on This Slide Share:

Brain Power for Kids: 6 Powerful Parenting Tips

https://www.kidsdiscuss.com/#/slide-share-detail/Brain-Power-for-Kids:-6-Powerful-Parenting-Tips

You might also like this video: Smart Kids - 6 Intelligent Questions for Smart Brains 

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Jean Tracy, MSS

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Our 10 Parenting Tips Within Our One-Minute Video Can Help

As a high school kid and loaded with homework, I remember asking my dad, an accountant, for help with algebra. It felt like torture waiting for him to study it first. Oftentimes, he just didn’t know. I learned to quit asking.

I don’t remember any praise, encouragement, or fun discussions about my studies. Instead school felt more like a heavy burden than an interesting experience. Dinner, car rides or bedtime would have been great times for such chats.

You don’t need to miss enjoyable talks with your child.

My one minute YouTube video offers 10 ways to engage your child’s curiosity and promote a  real love for learning.

Watch this video now and get the tips you need by copying the transcript below the video on YouTube at

https://youtu.be/qHkZtvQkQhw or watch it below:

:

Ten Ways to Boost Curious Thinkers

 Read Full Article with Specific Information on This Topic at:

The Curious Child – How Parents Raise Kids Who Love to Learn

Popular Posts with Similar Popular Topics:

Raising Smart Kids - 31 Practical Parenting Skills + Video

6 Parenting Tips: Helping Children Develop Concentration Skills + Video

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2 Conversations Can Help Your Kids

Develop Successful Attitudes.

ENVISION YOUR CHILD’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS HELPED BY 9 NEW MOTIVATING IDEAS.  You can plant those ideas with 2 conversations about positive attitudes.

First Conversation - Your Child's Inner Self-Talk

Just like you, children everywhere have conversations in their heads. Their inner conversations can sow seeds of discouragement, “I never do anything right,” or sprout growth, “I love learning new things.” Let's find out how to turn their internal chats into positive mottoes.

Second Conversation - Your Parent/Child Discussions

Talk with your child about the power of positive thinking and the importance about being curious. Let her know that her outlook will greatly determine whether she succeeds or fails. Why? Because the thoughts in her head influence her feelings and become self-fulfilling prophecies. Discuss how she can become a successful thinker  by sharing the 9 self-talk sayings in this parenting gift.

 

It's Never to Early to Talk about Attitudes

Ask your children which saying is best one for repeating often. Better yet see if they can create a self-fulfilling one-liner of their own. Rhymes are easier to remember. Post the one that fits best.

Great posting places include the fridge, a bulletin board, a bedroom door and a bathroom mirror.

 

Posting Positive Attitudes

Become Eye-Candy Reminders

Be sure to save these 9 curiosity mottoes in your 3-hole binder. Revisit them whenever you need to discuss motivation with your child.

Enter Code:  CURIOSITY at https://www.KidsDiscuss.com  

Download Your Parenting Gift Now

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Helping Bored Kids Become Interested Children

BUILDING KIDS’ INTERESTS STARTS WITH ASKING THE QUESTIONS THEY LOVE TO ANSWER. Good questions create a bond between you and your child. With these questions you’ll find out:

• How they feel about boredom
• What blocks their curiosity
• What they’d really like to learn
• What fills them with wonder
• How you can help them satisfy their curiosity

 

Curious Kids Have More Fun

After you hear the answers to the 10 discussions, You’ll know what fascinates your children. This helps them overcome boredom. You can then support and nurture their quest for knowledge by:

• Suggesting they ‘Google’ the information they seek
• Taking them to the library
• Asking about and listening to their research
• Praising their efforts to learn more
• Suggesting they share their knowledge with grandparents and friends.

 

"I Love Discussing My Interests."

Pick up today’s gift with the 10 discussions that your children love exploring.

Add them to a 3-hole binder to ask whenever needed.

Enter code:

INTERESTS

At

https://www.KidsDiscuss.com

and download now!

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