52 Encouraging Words for Kids: Positive Motivation & Love

Words to Say to Your Kids to Encourage and Love Them

Speaking positive, encouraging words to your kids can have a profound effect on their lives.

Encouraging words can give your children confidence and security. Knowing they are loved, supported and believed in by their parent can give them so much courage to overcome life’s challenges, while helping them to learn to believe in themselves.

It’s so easy to find ourselves only saying negative, discouraging things to our kids, sometimes we need an extra push to be able to speak positively to our kids. This is an important part of Gentle Parenting.

And before you start, remember that oftentimes the best type of praise for kids is observational praise. You want your encouragement to be sincere, while also allowing your child to see the good they have inside of them instead of relying on you for constant validation. But you can read more about that here.

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Here are 52 encouraging words for kids

1. I love you
2. I believe in you
3. You can do anything you set your mind to
4. You’ve worked really hard on this project
5. You handled that really well
6. Never be afraid to be yourself
7. I will always be here for you
8. You can always tell me the truth
9. It’s ok to fail
10. I am listening
11. You are so strong
12. You are so helpful
13. It was a good idea to ask me for help
14. You are a good friend
15. You are a good brother/sister
16. You make me laugh
17. That was very kind of you
18. You were really brave when that happened
19. Thank you
20. I’m sorry
21. Your choices matter
22. That’s a good question
23. That’s a great idea
24. That sounds really hard
25. How do you feel?
26. What do you think?
27. Learning takes time
28. Challenges make us stronger
29. Always try your hardest
30. You are important
31. Trust your gut
32. That was a really good decision
33. You can change the world
34. Your smile brightens my day
35. It’s good to keep trying
36. . That’s a great attitude to have about this
37. Always remember to rest
38. I’ll always be here if you need help
39. You solved that problem so well
40. It’s ok to feel __[emotion]__
41. You are so gentle
42. You have such a loving heart
43. You’re a great leader
44. You don’t always have to win
45. No one is perfect
46. Your words have power
47. I love you no matter what
48. I have so much fun with you
49. I love it when you’re honest with me
50. You can change the world
51. You make the world a better place
52. The important part is that you tried your hardest

Different types of encouraging words

In this list of encouraging words for kids there have been 5 main categories, and if you understand these categories (and their importance) it will be natural to speak encouraging words to your kids all the time.

• Supporting what your child has already done  (ex. “That was a really good decision”)
• Reminding them they’re loved and not alone (ex. “I believe in you”)
• Validating feelings (ex. “How do you feel?”)
• Facing challenges (ex. “Learning takes time”)
• Reminding them they’re valuable to this world (ex. “You can change the world”)

Let’s break these down further for a deeper understanding.

Supporting what your child has already done 

By giving positive reinforcement for something your child has already done, such as helping a friend, cleaning up etc. it will encourage them to repeat that behaviour again in the future. This is also a good way to point out the specifics of something good they’ve done, rather than a generic, “Good job.”

Example: “That was a really good decision”

Reminding them they’re loved and not alone 

When you remind your child that you love them and they are not alone it helps them to feel more secure and attached. This can give them more confidence when they try new or difficult things because they know they have your love and support going forward with them.

Example: “I believe in you”

Validating feelings 

Many of the encouraging words for kids include validating their feelings, which is an important part of Gentle Parenting. Feelings are an important part of who we are and it’s super important that kids know they’re allowed to have and (appropriately) express their feelings. It’s ok for them to feel sad, angry, scared, embarrassed, etc.

Example: “How do you feel?”

Facing challenges 

Everyone needs encouraging words when they’re facing a challenge! Whether it’s a test coming up or dealing with something embarrassing that happened at school, it’s really important for kids to believe in themselves that they can face and overcome any challenge.

Example: “Learning takes time”

Reminding them they’re valuable to this world 

You should always find ways to remind your child that they are valuable and important in this world. They are little world changers, and it’s important for them to realize their place in a community and the contributions they make to it.

Example: “You can change the world”

Encourage your kids everyday 

Starting today, try to make a point to speak encouraging words over your kid’s life every single day. Remind them of how much they’re loved and why they are valuable in this world.

You can use the list of encouraging words for kids to get you started, or think of the categories listed above and focus on those areas.

Encouraging words have a profound effect on how children see themselves and their self worth. They care a lot about what we think and our words have great power over them, so make sure to use those words strategically to lift them up.

Post Related to Encouraging Words for Kids

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