How to Encourage a PositiveAttitude in Students?

Negative thinking is like a giant wall. It closesyou in, keeps you from accomplishing goals,and blocks you from moving forward inlife—whether it be learning, growing, orobtaining happiness. In the same way,negative thinking can hold a student backfrom his or her true potential. What's one wayto stop this from happening? By encouraging apositive attitude.

Parents can play a huge role in teaching theirchildren how to think positive. In turn, thosesame parents can have a front-row seat towitness the amazing transformations thathappen when students simply begin to believein themselves.

We know for a fact that positive thinking hasmany physical, mental, and emotional healthbenefits. Consider these strategies toinspire a positive attitude and teachyour virtual school student howto think positive this year and beyond:

Be an example. Model a positive, encouragingattitude in all that you say, do, and believe:Optimism is contagious. Positive thinkingtends to breed positive results, and if yourchild sees positive results from your attitude,he or she is more likely to want to experiencethe same positive results. Show how optimismcreates an ideal environment for happinessand how positivity influences the success rateof any goal you may have. Sometimes seeingis believing, and there's no better model toshow it than you.

Create a positive learning space for yourstudent: What better way to inspire optimismthan ensuring that hopefulness is all around?As you create a home classroom bulletinboard planner or decorate yourchild's home workspace, pepperin some positive quotes to keepmotivation high. A positiveenvironment can do wonders for

eliminating negativity and encouraginghealthy thoughts as your student tackles newlearning challenges and opportunities.

Help your student visualize a positiveoutcome from every scenario before starting:It's important to regularly plan goals with yourstudent, and when doing so, clearlyset the stage for what success looks like.How will it feel to accomplish the goal?What will the reward be?

What does it mean to be successful? And whydoes it matter? Answering all of thesequestions can get your student excited aboutworking toward the goal and will remind himor her of the positive outcomes to look forwardto.

Eliminate negative verbiage from yourstudent's dialogue: When you hear yourstudent say "I can't do it," take a step back.Bring this negative verbiage to your child'sattention. Dive deeper into the meaningbehind it. Ask questions. "Why can't you doit?"; "What's holding you back?"; "How can Ihelp?"; "What do you need to be able to do it?"From there, lay out a plan to remove thosebarriers. Show your child that you are in thistogether, and together you can come upwith a plan to turn "I can't" into "We can."

Help your student change negative thinkingpatterns: As you bring negative words andthoughts to the attention of your student,make sure you're encouraging him or her toreplace the negativity with positivity.

This popular method is a form of cognitivebehavioral therapy, which is designed tochange people's thinking orbehavioral patterns that are linked tocertain difficulties. In this case theconcept is simple:

when you have a negative thought orreaction, notice it and replace it witha positive one. The more this occurs,

the more positive your student's thoughts,words, and actions will be.

Play the role of your student's biggest fan: Asa parent or Learning Coach, your influencemakes a big difference in your student's levelsof self-confidence. Your belief in your studentcan help him or her learn this sense ofconfidence and self-acceptance.

Consider trying some of theseself-acceptance activities to makeyour child aware of his or her uniquestrengths and weaknesses.

In turn, your student can begin thinkingpositively, developing self-esteem, andcelebrating his or her identity.

Incorporate a rewards system to encouragepositivity at all times: It's not unusual forchildren to lack motivation to be positive,especially when dealing with a defeat or senseof failure.

How can you teach them to improve theirbehavior during those negativity-drenchedtimes? The answer may be a rewards systemthat provides positive reinforcement foroptimism.

Follow these steps to encourage PositiveAttitude for your student.

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