The end of the year and beginning of the next one is always a time of setting resolutions, and admittedly, it’s a good way to teach children about setting goals for themselves. More importantly, however, we believe that this time period of reflection and setting intentions creates an opportunity to discuss kindness, not just to others, but to themselves, too. Self-compassion is linked to better overall wellbeing, so it is vital that kids develop their kindness to themselves. Here are some of the bkty (aka “be kind to yourself”) activities to encourage your kids to practice self-compassion in 2020!
Write a Letter to Yourself
This is an activity you and your child can do together early in the year and then reflect back on toward the end of the year. Or, you could even do it at the start of each month! Have your child write a letter about dreams and victories, as well as lessons learned. Some writing prompts you can use include:
How have you changed over the past year/month?
What was your favorite part of the year/month? What didn’t go so great?
What goals are you working on?
It is an excellent practice in self-reflection, and your child will surely love being able to reconnect with their inner-self and their year in this creative way! An added bonus is to see how their handwriting will change over the course of a year.
Create and Practice Affirmations
Kids can benefit from positive affirmations just as much as adults. It helps them build their self-esteem and confidence, and will teach them to practice more self-compassion. Work together to create a personalized list of affirmations for your child. Once you’ve created the list, you can write them out on notecards and place them in different areas – like on the bathroom mirror or in their lunchbox. Let us know if you’re interested in a kids’ card collection set as we are mapping out our own year for affirmations and printing goals.
Develop Words of Encouragement to Fight Negative Self-Talk
Kids often hear about the importance of being kind to others, but don’t always learn about being kind to themselves. Negative self-talk can creep in, and children won’t always know how to work through it. Work together to identify common negative self-talk statements that emerge, and see how they can turn them around in 2020. Write these replacements out on a piece of paper or journal that they can refer to as necessary. Whenever new negative self-talk phrases comes up, motivate them to see how they can replace those words with statements of encouragement. Statements like “I am so dumb” can be replaced with “I am always learning,” or “I am a failure” can be replaced with “I made a mistake, but I’ll learn from it and do better next time.”
Make Your Bed Everyday
It isn’t a favorite chore, but making the bed on a daily basis is a great self-esteem-building habit to get into in the new year. It is a small act of kindness to the self as it will help them feel responsible and productive at the start of their day – and it’ll take a load off of you if bed-making is your thing!
Try New Non-Electronic Activities
This year, encourage your kids to be kind to themselves by finding entertaining hobbies that don’t revolve around a screen, such as cooking, painting, or playing a sport. Through these activities, you may be able to promote physical health, strengthen communication skills, or encourage creativity. Make a ritual out of it to carry on the activity throughout the year. Maybe Sunday night is family board game night, or every Tuesday after school, you go to the park to throw around a frisbee.
Share Good Things with Friends and Family Daily
This quick activity sets a positive tone for the day and helps your child reflect on all that is good in their life. Each day, use one of these prompts to encourage your child to share:
One good thing in my life is…
Something good that happened is...
It is a great way to either kick off the day or reflect on all that has happened in the evening. It will give you both a moment to celebrate the good! Encourage your kid to share their good things with friends, as well.
Keep an Appreciation Journal
An appreciation journal will further encourage your child to look at the good in their life. Gratitude can help children live more joyful lives and better cope with negative emotions, so this practice is the ultimate act of self-compassion. Get a journal dedicated to gratitude and encourage your child to write down what they are grateful for or appreciate each day. Inspire them to look not only at the material items but the experiences they have had and the positive qualities they see in themselves.
Treat Your Body with Kindness
Self-compassion is important on the physical level, too. Head into 2020 with health in mind, and talk to your child about the different ways they can treat their bodies with kindness over the year. Discuss the importance of eating fruits and vegetables daily, working in fun physical activities, and getting enough sleep each night.
Make a Reading List for the Year
Reading is wonderful for learning and promoting creativity, so head down to the library or bookstore to pick out some books to read this year! Encourage your child to make a checklist of the books they are going to read and make sure they stay on track throughout the year. They’ll feel accomplished when they check every book off their list! If the school year proves too stressful to add another list of things to do, save this idea for the summer. Summer reading lists are such a fun memento to keep too.
Learn About and Practice Mindfulness
It is never too early to learn about mindfulness! Kids who practice mindfulness better cope with anxiety and stress, enhance their social skills, exhibit better behavior in school, and much more. Kids need to practice mindfulness to truly understand the concept and get good at it, so find a mindfulness practice that works best for them. One great mindfulness practice is called “Breathing Buddies.” Your child will pick their favorite stuffed animal, and then will lay down on the floor with the toy on their stomach. Then, they’ll watch the toy move up as they slowly inhale and down as they slowly exhale – helping them fully focus on the present moment.
Use this time period to treat yourself with kindness and teach your child(ren) about it too. Science proves that self-compassion leads to greater wellbeing, and you can model this behavior by practicing in their presence. Pay attention to the language you use (in front of them or within earshot) and see if they’re mimicking your words. Modeling how you accept yourself exactly as you are (the ultimate form of self-care) is the best gift you can give your child as well as your own inner child.
If you want to learn more about self-compassion for yourself and your child through 2020 and beyond, check out our bkty philosophy, shop our card collections, or follow us on Instagram for more reminders, tips, insights, and inspiration!
Comments