Words are powerful. words can make or break and words should be used thoughtfully. When uttered they can not be withdrawn, there is no backspace button for an uttered word. Hence Positive and Encouraging Words should fill our mouths daily as we communicate with our kids.` Some of the words we say today will remain a great source of encouragement or discouragement for years to come. In this article I want to fill your mouth with 100 positive words for children, . ensuring that you do not run out of empowering words in your daily interactions with your child.
Let us look at different ways we can use words as building blocks in constructing a boy under our care into an admirable, respectable man.
I urge you to be Creative and Intentional with words. Use them like arrows intended for a specific target.
The following is a list of encouraging words we can use to encourage, to love, and to affirm our kids daily.
1. You are special to me
2. I love you
3. You are important
4. You are maturing well
5. You are creative
6. You are smart ( should be used minimally with more emphasis on efforts and the process)
7. I believe you
8. You are loving
9. You are kind
10. I am blessed to be your mom
11. You are a blessing
12. Your friends are blessed
13. You are important to me
14 I like how you think
15. I value your opinions
16 Your future is bright
17. You are handsome
18. You are OK the way you are
19. You are a great problem solver
20. You are such a compassionate boy.
21. I love your empathetic nature
22. thank you
23. I believe in you
24. That was brilliant
25. You are awesome
26. You are unique
27. You are such an independent thinker
28. You are a good communicator
29. You have a way with words
30. I like your attitude towards
31. You getting better at this
32. I love your energy
33. You can be trusted
34. You are courageous
35. You are brave
36 You are bold
37. You are amazing
38. You make me proud
39.You should be proud of yourself
40. You are a star
41. You gave it your best
42. I appreciate your efforts
43 You are caring
44. You are loving
45. You are firm
46. You are reliable
47.You are gentle
48. You are talented
49. You have great leadership potential
50. You will be a great father
51. Your wife will be blessed to have such a gentleman
52. You are detailed
53 You serve with excellence your clients will be happy to do business with you
54. You will be a great asset to the company that will hire you
55. You are irreplaceable
56. I couldn’t have chosen a better son
57. You have what it takes
58.I believe in your ideas
59. Wow.!
60.Your presence makes a great difference
61. I missed you
62. I can’t imagine my life without you
63. I love you unconditionally
64. You are open-minded
65 You are not defined by others opinions
66. You are unique
67.You are resilient
68. You are such an independent learner
69. You look good
70. I know you can do it better
71. You are a genius
72. You are my Hero
73. You are good at…
74. I celebrate you
75. You are courageous
76. I love your confidence
77.You are genuine
78. You are authentic
79. That’s honorable
80. You are such an optimistic person
81. Well done
82. You deserve it
83. I am sorry,
84. I was wrong
85. You can try again
86. Don’t give up
87. You are not your mistakes
88. I support you
89. I got your back
90. You can do this
91 I know how you feel
92. I forgive you
93. I understand
94. It’s ok to cry
95. I am all yours
96. I want to hear all about it
97. You are stronger than you think
98. You went an extra mile
99. You are helpful
100. It will be okay
Additional Tips
1. Don’t Lie
Do not say things that are not true because you might eventually confuse the child. Even if you have the most mischievous child, there are moments of some good with him too. If you plan to turn the mischievous behavior around you are going to have to be some detective, Amid the mess you think he is, look for some good, magnify the good and talk more about the good. Catch him doing something good and build a monument there.
2. Don’t over-praise
The child’s motivation should not depend on your praise, he must not be addicted to your praise to the extent that without it he is dysfunctional.
Your praise, appreciation, or rewards should not in extreme ways force the child to do what he does not want to do, just so that he can impress the parents. Our praise should of course be a source of motivation but we should also encourage, teach, and make room for self-motivation in the absence of external praise.
We must also be aware of social comparison when we give our praise. We should avoid praise that goes like – you are better than him or you are better than them. Such praise can breed an unhealthy competitive spirit. The child’s self-worth should not be dependant on how he has outperformed others.
The objective of praise should be to encourage the child. The focus should not only be on what he has achieved but the efforts/ hard work he has put in achieving that. What do you do if you saw him diligently preparing for a test that he now failed? You praise him for the diligence, check the loopholes in how he was preparing, and encourage him to give it another shot.
The same applies to when he has performed well, less emphasis should be put on words like you are smart, go beyond that and highlight the process he went through and the efforts he has put in achieving the results on the table, Why? because you want to promote or enhance resilience and hard work.
e.g ‘ I saw you practicing your maths consistently in the past week your hard work and persistence are paying off’
3. Don’t use positive words to manipulate
Be genuine and sincere as possible in your praise or use of words. Remember ‘ Monkey see, Monkey do’. If you are using praise to manipulate you are raising a manipulator, he will do that to his younger siblings, friends and everyone he will relate with, future.
It will also be a hit and miss from your side, he will soon figure out your manipulative strategies and never respond positively to your praise.
Final Thoughts
I began by saying, use words like an arrow, have a target in mind. The big question here is what do you want to achieve.
Do you want to develop or enhance his confidence?
Do you want to ensure that he feels heard and understood?
Do you want to affirm him of your love and support?
Do you want to build his communication skill or whatever skill you deem necessary?
Do you want him to clearly understand how important he is, in your life?
Do you want him to believe in his potential and dreams?.
What is it that you want to achieve?.
Observe your child closely, what are his strengths – Fortify them with words. What are his weaknesses – use words to build him up. We can use words to build or to repair but choose to build than to repair. Build consistently, build patiently, words are like seeds keep planting in due season you will reap.
Finally, go out of your way to minimize counterproductive words. Positive, encouraging words are seeds, they need to be continually watered, in due time we shall reap a well rounded, sound, authentic incredible man. Negative, condemning words can work against what we are trying to build, they should be minimized at all costs. hence I believe that this is something that cannot be done casually but parents and guardians should be intentional and careful of what comes out of their mouth, ensuring that they daily water what they planted.
If you wanna know more about Why we need to build,groom and nurture our boys this way check Raising Boys to Be Good Men.
As a mom of 9, including 4 boys, I found this quite interesting. I do believe in using positives often with all my kids and have seen the ways that these word phrases have helped build them into the incredible young men they are today. I like that you mention not to over-praise. Too often, I’ve seen kids who can’t relate to normal adult issues because they seem to crave that constant praise. While we have praised often for deserved times, my parents encouraged me to avoid over-doing and also to be sure to offer correction when needed. They were right. We all need to know right from wrong. And we all need to feel loved and appreciated.
Thanks for a very inspirational article. I’ll be sharing this one in many places!
Hey Diane
Thank you for stopping by. I am glad to see an experienced mom like you fully understanding the point I am making which is words are building or destroying tools we use to shape our kids. It soinds like you did a great job raising those kids. Well done.
Words indeed are powerful weapons that can build someone up or bring the person down. They also can serve as a confidence booster and i believe that these are facts that we can not undermine. I believe that the more we speak positively, the more our children can act positively. Thank you for the effort and the content.
Thank you Lucas for your feedback. I like what you said ‘that the more we speak positively, the more our children can act positively’ meaning our children’s actions are directly linked with our words
What a marvelous article. As I looked over the list, I realized that I have used most of the phrases at one time or another. I also realized that its very important to be intentional about saying these things at the appropriate times. My sons are all grown, but I have 4 grandsons and a granddaughter who need to hear all these phrases as they grow. I also think that it is very important to be intentional about not being negative when difficult times arrive. I am going to pass this article onto my sons to use with their kids.
This is very important and often overlooked!
I’ve fallen foul of it myself where I’ve come home from work tired and fed up and it’s easy to forget to bring in positivity and remember kids are only kids for so long.
I, and I’m sure many others should remember this list and use it often, but especially during times of stress and upheaval.
Thanks for such a thoughtful article!
Hello Rammuki! This article is awesome and very helpful as I will share it with my elder sister who just gave birth to her first male child, I am sure this will help her.
While growing up, mom and dad never stop telling us “I love you baby” even when he has finished scolding us for something we did wrong. That alone gave us confidence that they’ve got our back no matter what.
Saying good words to our kids matters a lot and in life so many words we say to our kids last a longer time in their memory than we expect and it take part is what affect your psychoanalysis in life later on. I have co evto realise it’s best we take care of these kids by telling them good things and positive words.
Hey Justin
Words last longer,sometimes even a life time in our minds, depending on the impact they are making on us. Imagine if this lasting impact is a positive one. Lets do this to build a better future generation .
Awesome post Bogadi!
Being in a busy schedule, one often forgot the simplest most effective things in life – words. To be honest, I forgot how words affected me deeply when I was young, at one point I was bullied and called names that eventually I wanted to commit suicide but I’m glad I didn’t. Definitely implementing this whenever I see my son!
Thank you Riaz, Im glad you survived your harsh youth days .
I m also glad that you are ready to protect your son from such. Dont only wait to see him ,text him call him etc, but let him hear these words frequently.
It is always important to make sure that you try as much as possible as a parent, to say positive things to your child so that you build his or her morale and this will also help him or her develop a positive outlook to life which holds many benefits. These words that you have shared are really beautiful and I’m sure will help the child grow a positive attitude.
Thank you Beesean
Thats the intention we need more people of a positive attitude and a healthy esteem. Lets intentionally build our next generation
It is a great post. It is of great educational and practical significance. Words are powerful. Positive words can promote the growth of children. I am from China. I think Chinese parents just don’t know how to use words to educate and encourage their children. Your post is a very good learning material for it.
Thank you Chen . I lived and taught in China for sometime, I know very well what you are talking about. I used to feel so bad for the kids. Chinese parents and teachers are not careful with their words and temper when they talk to kids but I believe that can change, one parent at a time.
This is a good collection of positive phrases you can tell children, especially your own. Building sound self-esteem will help them grow and mature into assured teenagers and men that are also thoughtful leaders.
I don’t know what inspired you to write this topic, but I am sure you have had experiences where you realised there is a growing need for children to have understanding parents. Nowadays, most parents spend the whole day at work and when they get home they can be tired and also grumpy due to that tiredness.
As it’s not the child’s fault we cannot and should not take our feelings out on our children. We have to exercise self-control and set a good example all or most of, the time. That may seem hard, but it is doable!
Thank you Stella for stopping by and for what you just pointed out which is very true.Most times children suffer for our grumpiness . It is important in the first place for parents to be aware that they are grumpy and adjust themselves very well before interacting with the children.
I agree, words can be very powerful, and they can indeed have either a very positive or negative impact depending upon how they are used.
Children pick up on not only the words however, but also the emotion behind them. The context upon which the words are spoken are therefore just as important. You can’t therefore simply utter words parrot fashion and expect the child to respond to them. Therefore you are correct in saying that you cannot over praise, because the words will lack meaning.
If you are a parent, and you tend not to use many positive phrases or words very often, then I think you need to first look at how you use words generally. That’s because the child will pick up on words you use when talking to others, and not to just the child…Do you agree?
Thank you Ray.
I like the fact that words should not be empty but their power is based on the emotion behind, hence we need to be genuine or the child will eventually see through us.
I fully agree with your second point , it means you cant be two faced with how you use words, be rude to others and then turn and be nice to the child. It will be really confusing, It will help to be consistent in your character.
Hi Bogadi,
This would easily be the best thing that I read today. It’s a beautiful article. I must say, you have a great website and some really nice articles.
The words and phrases we must say to our children are awesome. In fact, I have bookmarked this page and will visit it each day. It goes into my list of ‘Things to do daily’.
Thanks so much.
Hey Aparna
Thank you for visiting The Incredible Boy and its flattering to know that I will be having a regular visitor from today. You are welcome anytime, any day
Words are powerful. Positive words can promote the growth of kids and make them stay positive even at their adult age. Your child’s view of the world start with you. Everything you do in front of them, your actions and words will make them or break them and they will have to grow with it for the rest of their life. Thanks for putting this through.
Hey Daniel
Thank you for stopping by The Incredible Boy
I echo what you said ‘Your child’s view of the world start with you’.
It is my wish that all parents get to understand this .
Thank you very much for writing those kind words. Even though you wrote it for our inspiration, I feel like I’m the one who was being supported with those words 🙂 Well, it actually shows that the kids will be grateful when I use those words. I agree with you that we shouldn’t overpraise them. I experienced it as a kid, hence I feel nothing when my parent praise me.
I am glad I found your site because it has given me a different perspective to many issues we encounter with our beloved children. I have already been using some of these phrases but your post has made me understand how important our words are to shape the personality of our little ones. It’s nice to pay attention to each one of the things we tell them and the ones we don’t tell them.
i am glad you are finding value here Ann. Enjoy shaping your little ones with your words.
Hi Bogadi,
Thanks so much for this very important article! I wish at least 90% of adults could see or hear this or similar lessons early in their lives.
Just yesterday, there was an unnecessary altercation between a boy and an adult. I am citing this story on the presumption that “any child is my child”. Me and the other adult man are parents to the boy. We were all on a positive, humanitarian mission. Boy does a MINOR mistake, suddenly the adult starts throwing angry words at the boy. I should really have chipped in at that stage, because as you said, words cannot be pulled back.
The boy ended up responding angrily. And you know what usually happens in that situation. Boy gets labelled as disrespectful! My intervention was too late. 😥😥I Was tired? Probably; I do all to protect children and youth.
Regards
Hi Tebogo
Thank you for stopping by The Incredible Boy
I have always said that there must be a compulsory training for everyone who desire to be a parent . This can help us raise a totally different generation, because they will be raised from knowledge and understanding
Hi,
Interesting article. Building up a child with our words and when am talking about words,i mean the right words.it is very important for parents to always use the right words on their children,because whatever words they use on them now will grow up with them,using wrong words on them is likely to affect their future. So parent should try as much as possible to always use the right words on their children,always encourage them,say sweet things to them always pray for them.
Thank you.
Aluko
Hey Aluko
Thank you for stopping by The Incredible Boy.
I am happy you get me
There is so much valuable information in this article. It is true. The words you send out to your kids stay with them for the rest of their lives. These loving words will be the foundation they stand on when life gets rough and you are not around to rescue them. In addition, when they learn the power of such words, they will pass on the love to their own kids and a anyone they meet. Thank you for such a full and all encompassing list. I will be making a note of them and using them with my kids.
Thank you JJ for stopping by The Incredible Boy.
I like what you have said ‘These loving words will be the foundation they stand on when life gets rough and you are not around to rescue them’
Hello there! Thank you very much for sharing this article on 100 most positive words for children. I’ve gone through the article and it’s a very helpful one. These words are really touching and though it appears like a normal thing to say, it would give your son the re assurance he needs. I’ll forward this to my sister so she can be like this to her son. Words are powerful weapons so using this on her sons will help build their confidence. Thank you.
Hey Sophie
Thank you for stopping by The Incredible we are in a serious business of raising boys to be Incredible Good Men.
And words are one of the available resources we can intentionally use to build the boy child.
Oh, this is just so fantastic. I man the way you’re able to give us the information about how to use words to help I’d build out kids to become good children is so nice and I’m so happy to learn the right way to make my kid a good child through good positive words. I will use this.
Hi Jackie
Thank you for stopping by The Incredible Boy, we are in the business of Raising our Boys to be Incredible Good Me.
One of the powerful tools we can use is positive words.
Thanks for this amazing article, it’s always good to imbibe the character of using positive words and use positive words to build your children. I really love these 100 words, they are truly positive and they’ll be of great help I’m training children to be good and well mannered individuals. This is a good and resourceful article.
Hey J
Thank you for stopping by The Incredible we are in a business of raising boys to be Incredible Good Men.
I like the fact that you are Intentional about training children to be good and well mannered individuals.
Wishing you all the best , hopefully the 100 positive words for children will come handy and help you,
Hello there, thanks a lot for sharing this wonderful piece of information here with us. I must say i really did enjoyed going through your article as it contains valuable information’s one can hold on to. It is really necessary to build confidence in these kids from a little age, that is one thing one must not ignore
Hey Philbur
Whatever happens , please don’t ignore this. Words can make or break. Lets intentionally use them to build , groom and nurture our boys to be true gentle and Incredible men
Wow I absolutely loved this read. Thank you so much for these 100 positive words for children.
This article deserves to be featured everywhere! I get furious when I hear a parent offending their child with bad words. Instead of encouraging them. Any way leaves deep marks in children’s minds and behavior so we as adults should be more conscious about how we treat little ones. I don’t think that an adult likes when someone calls them bad names. The children don’t like that too but they are afraid to confront adults’ frustrations
Thank you so much for the share!
Sunny
Hey Sunny
Thank you for stopping by The Incredible Boy
Words are powerful if you release it , you are never gonna take it back , some words will just be with the kids for a long time to adulthood.
This is great. Im not a father personally but I feel these words of encouragement can also be used to build up freinds and family around us too. Hearing these phrases myself coming from friends around me are really encouraging. I also feel the aspect of not over praising is important. Thanks so much for this article, it was motivating just to read.
I love this article so much, Lifting our children’s confidence through positive talk is so important in every child’s life. It makes them feel loved and cared for as well as boosts their confidence. I think this article is very powerful to spread the word on the importance of boosting our child’s confidence with positive talk, Thank you for the tips and reminders.