Raising your child to have an optimistic attitude will give them valuable life skills. With the news being filled with doom and gloom children might feel overwhelmed and anxious. Teaching your child to approach life with optimism will help your little one to cope with challenges or setbacks they encounter and motivate them to achieve their goals.

Let’s look at how you can help your child to become more optimistic? Here is some great advice from an independent girls’ school in Notting Hill and I love to hear your tips in the comments.

GIVE THEM POSITIVE ROLE MODELS

If you want to raise an optimistic child, then you will need to set a good example for them to follow. This means maintaining a positive attitude and avoiding negative comments when something doesn’t go to plan. Educate your child that it is ok to make mistakes and show them how to use mistakes as learning opportunities. Also, surround yourself with positive people so that they see it amplified in all aspects of life.

PROMOTE RECILIENCE

Help your child to understand what it means to have a ‘growth mindset’ by discussing resilience and perseverance. Children with a growth mindset believe that their abilities will improve over time if they keep on trying. This is a perfect example of how optimistic thinking can support your child through any challenges they face. Again if they see that you don’t give up when things get tough that will help them to tackle problems head-on and carry on until they succeed.

GIVE YOUR CHILD RESPONSIBILITY

Giving your child more responsibility will help them to develop an optimistic attitude. Show your child that you trust them. This will continue to build their feelings of competency by letting them do more things independently. For example, you could give your child a list of household chores to complete on a weekly basis. This could include sorting your rubbish into recycling bins or taking the dog for a walk. Also, include them when you cook dinner and when they are a bit older teach them about budgeting and maybe allow them to plan, too.

ENCOURAGE GRATITUDE

Finally, it is really important to encourage gratitude at home by reminding your children to be thankful for all that they have. This can include all of the wonderful toys in their bedroom to all of their loving family members. A great way to incorporate gratitude into your child’s daily routine is by giving them a special notebook to list all of the things that make them happy. This is such an effective technique for maintaining an optimistic attitude.