Using Positive Affirmations for Kids in the Classroom

Are you looking for a fun and engaging way to promote positive emotions and a growth mindset in your students? Positive affirmations are short, simple phrases or statements that are designed to help children develop a positive mindset and self-esteem.

They can help your students counteract negative thoughts or beliefs they may have about themselves and encourage them to think and feel more positively.

Our set of 24 printable cards containing positive emotional affirmations for kids is the perfect addition to your social-emotional learning lessons and growth mindset activities. Each of the cards has been designed to encourage and uplift children, helping them develop a positive self-image and resilience.

Each card features a different affirmation, such as “I am capable and confident,” “I am grateful for all that I have,” or “I choose to be happy and positive.”

The affirmations listed on the cards are all age-appropriate, simple, and easy for students to remember.

How to Use Positive Affirmations in the Classroom

Did you know that experts estimate that we have somewhere between 60,000 – 80,000 thoughts a day? What’s even more shocking is that it’s estimated that 80-90% of our thoughts are negative ones. When you stop and listen to students’ self-talk, you’re likely to hear comments like…

• I can’t do this.
• This is hard.
• No one likes me.
• I am not good enough.

Does this sound familiar? Because many of our belief systems are formed in early childhood, it is critical to challenge this. It’s certainly had our teacher team thinking (ha)…how can we get kids to think positively and to have a growth mindset? Why not give affirmations a try?

These printable cards can be used in a variety of ways to give students a quick self-esteem boost or to aid in individual reflection and goal setting. Here are a few ways to use affirmations from our teacher team:

1. Set Up an Affirmations Mirror in the Classroom

Make sure that when students look in the mirror in the classroom, there are positive messages all around to counteract some of the more insidious societal messages about kids and their bodies. Print out the affirmations cards, and hang them all around your classroom mirror for a simple but effective bit of classroom decor.

Teacher Miss Fauni printed out each of the positive affirmations for kids and posted them all around her classroom mirror to ensure every child could see them when they took a peek. Check out the result:

2. Create an Affirmation Wall

You don’t have to have to set up a mirror to ensure these can be displayed in the classroom. Choose a blank space on your wall, and simply add the various cards so students walking by read positive messages that build them up.

3. Incorporate Positive Affirmations During Morning Meetings

Post one affirmation card on your whiteboard each morning as a guide for your morning meeting discussions.

4. Use positive affirmations as a tool for self-reflection and goal setting.

Whether students are working in small groups, in pairs, or individually, these affirmations can provide good inspiration for students to build off of when creating goals.

5. Incorporate affirmations into your classroom management.

Print copies of the affirmations to keep on hand so you have them in mind when you’re giving positive feedback to students and reinforcing their good behaviors, such as displaying positive attitudes in the classroom.

Social-Emotional Wellness is Crucial for Kids!

These cards are easy to use and come in a convenient printable format, making them perfect for busy teachers. They are versatile and can be used with students of all ages, from kindergarten to high school. So why wait? Add these positive emotional affirmations cards to your teaching resources today and start promoting a growth mindset and positive emotions in your students!

This resource includes a page of blank affirmation cards for you to write your own personal affirmations specific to your student’s needs.