A Prayer for Children: Understanding Affirmation

Words to Power Us Up

“You is kind. You is smart. You is important.” Those words have resonated with me ever since I saw the movie The Help back in 2011. Those were the words that little Mae Mobley’s nanny, Aibileen, poured into her in an attempt to speak encouragement, value, and worth into her life.

Words of affirmation like these are like little “power-ups” for our minds—positive statements we can say to ourselves to help us feel confident, happy, and ready to take on the world. It’s like we’re giving a peptalk to remind ourselves how strong, kind, or capable we are.

As children of God, we are all innately good. Affirmations help us to align with and express those good qualities of God—qualities like strength, wisdom, power, and love.

For children, understanding affirmations can be a fun and powerful way to build self-confidence, manage emotions, and develop a positive outlook. Here are three easy steps they can use for creating their own affirmations:

Start with I am … or I can … These phrases are powerful because they help to connect us with our spiritual self or inner divinity.
Keep it positive. Make sure your affirmation feels good. Instead of saying, I’m not scared, try I am brave.
Be specific. Think about what you want to feel, change, achieve, or believe. Instead of I am happy, try I am a good friend or I am learning something new every day.

In the same way that eating healthy food helps our bodies grow strong, positive affirmations help our minds and hearts grow positive and healthy! When we say nice things to ourselves, we’re training our brains to notice the good things about us and the world around us. It’s like building a superpower to help us stay calm, happy, and brave, even when things get tough.

Children can practice affirmations every morning, before bedtime, or whenever they need a boost. Some of my favorite activities are to say them in front of a mirror, write them down, or even draw pictures to illustrate them. Children can make a Power-Up Poster with all their favorite affirmations and decorate it to make it fun and special.

A Prayer for Children Learning Affirmations

Focusing my awareness on the Christ light and love within every child, I see them growing into the realization of the power of their thoughts and words. Aligned with their innate Christhood, they embrace all the good qualities within themselves that make them unique expressions of God. Every day in every way I see them growing more loving and kind as they share these qualities with the world around them.

A Shared Family Prayer

In this quiet moment, let’s take a deep cleansing breath together. Hold it, then let it go. Now we breathe in the recognition of all that we are: wise, discerning, loving, filled with the light of the Divine. All the goodness of God now permeates our being. As we listen to that still, small voice within us, we are filled with courage, kindness, and wisdom. The light of God now guides our way, and we walk our path with confidence and peace.