The 'I CAN' can

Replace “I Can’t’ with confidence building affirmations.

I remember when I was a child my parents had this product called the I CAN Can.  It was a black can about the size of a coffee can and Inside were little cards with positive affirmation that turned I can’t statements into I can.   Through the use of language we can empower our children and students to change their thoughts.  Our thoughts create the energy that we put out into the world.  When  we learn to change our thoughts we begin to see ourselves and the life around us change.  One of my favorite sayings is below

Watch your thoughts. They become words. Watch your words. They become deeds. Watch your deeds. They become habits. Watch your habits. They become character. Character is everything.

Below are a few examples of statements that can help inspire your child to think and feel self-confident  and worthy. 

1.  You’ve got this: Your vote of confidence can inspire them with the extra boost they need

2. I’ve got you: Knowing someone has your back even if you fall is extremely comforting and important no matter what your age. 

3. You can do hard things:  This direct phrase acknowledges that things can be hard and they are capable of doing hard things

4. Mistakes Happen:  Mistakes are inevitable and happen to everyone.  It’s the lesson we learn from the mistake that matters most.

5. You must be so proud of yourself!  Rather than telling your child you are proud of them switch up the semantics and let their pride come from within

Keep your head up high

Our mind stores our thoughts and our body stores our emotions.  It’s no surprise that changing the way we hold our body can change how we feel. 

A quick and effective way to tap into the frequency of confidence and feel more elevated  is to notice our posture.   Do we stand with our shoulders slumped over or our head hanging down? Do we cross our arms over our chest and block our heart?

Making simple adjustments to the way we physically carry ourselves has an effect on how we feel internally.  In our classes we will cue children to sit tall as if they were wearing a heavy crown on their head - like a Queen or King.   When we sit like royalty we begin to feel powerful like the King or Queen that we are. Another posture we take when scared is to block our heart. Instead of crossing our arms over our chest we can take our hands and clasp them behind our back.  It’s a more vulnerable position however, it’s one that leads and shows the world you have an open and confident heart.

Another common body posture is to cross our arms over our heart - we especially do this when we want to protect ourselves and close ourselves off. A counter posture to this is to take our arms and cross them behind our back.  When we do this our body language says we are confident, ready and open for whatever is in front of us!  If bringing your hands behind your back is uncomfortable you can also try placing your hands on your hips (ala Peter Pan!)

A fun way to help kids express a more confident body posture is to ask them to put their body into the position of the letter  X or Y.  Both of these positions are open and bold and exude a feeling of pride and accomplishment.  (think of a gymnast in the Olympics after they compete with their arms in the air in a Y position!).  You can create a game of X* Y Freeze dance and instead of calling out Freeze, call out the letter X or Y and ask your students and have them freeze in that position. Ask them to notice how they feel in each position.  The  mind-body connection is powerful, accessible and plays a major role in influencing how we think and feel.  It’s a wonderful gift as a teacher to help children tap into this concept at a young age.