Optimism is the confidence and enthusiasm that we all need to try our best to reach our goals, even if obstacles present themselves. This is crucial for children, who face various challenges throughout their education and even in their personal lives. If your child lacks this positivity, it’s important that parents help them find it. Here are some fantastic tips from an independent girls’ school in Surrey on how to help your child develop an optimistic outlook on life. 

Be a great role model 

Children learn from the behaviours they observe. With this in mind, if you want your child to be more optimistic, you will have to be optimistic too. Suggest some achievable goals for each member of the family and praise success to promote a “can-do” attitude.  

Try and introduce gratitude, even for the smallest of things. You can do this by helping your child acknowledge all the positive aspects of their life, like the fact they have food on the table every day, teachers that want to help them learn and a roof over their head. Essentially, the aim is to explore positivity wherever possible. 

Take a step back 

Sometimes you need to let your child work things out for themselves and achieve things without your help. This will help them develop a strong sense of self-esteem and give them the confidence to take risks and make their own decisions. If you do everything for them, they will always rely on you. 

Give your child some tasks to do around the home that they can easily complete to help them feel capable and responsible. 

Encourage a growth mindset 

Explain to your child that failing is inevitable and helps us to learn and grow, rather than holds us back. Skills and abilities will develop over time and children need to know that as long as they don’t give up, they will eventually succeed. 

Teach your child to be hopeful 

Talk to your child on a regular basis about their hopes and dreams. For instance, what would they like to do for a job when they grow up? Would they like any pets? What type of car would they like to drive? You can then explore what steps need to be taken in order to achieve these goals. 

This will allow them to feel excited and positive about the future, rather than afraid of the unknown.