Talking Nicely to Myself – My Two Voices

Continuing on with Kids Have Stress Too!

Here’s another Toolbox Activity from Kids Have Stress Too!

Everyday if you have a Positive attitude + Action it's going to have to = results!



Talking Nicely to Myself – My Two Voices

Children learn by example. When adults use their own positive voice out loud this encourages children to do the same.

Imagine that you have two little people one on each shoulder. One is a friendly little buddy who cheers for you, says good things about you and sticks up for you. The other is a mean, critical bully who points out all your mistakes and calls you nasty names.
When you hear your friendly buddy, listen carefully and repeat the words out loud. When you hear the man bully say things like “you’re stupid” or “you’re lazy” don’t agree with what you hear. Say, “No, that’s not right!”
(We as adults would do well to learn this lesson also)
Remember to be your own best friend. Best friends are kind. Best friends are understanding. Best friends encourage us when we have disappointments. Best friends help us celebrate our successes.

Using Your Positive “Buddy” Voice
• When you do something very well, say to yourself, “I did a good job. That was great. I knew I could do it!”
• When you do something okay, say, “That was okay. I’m doing all right.”
• When you do something you’re not happy with, say, “That wasn’t my best work. I can do better. Next time, I will try harder. I can learn from this.”
• If you’re not invited to a birthday party, say, “Lots of people like me. I can do something else that is fun even if I can’t go to the party.”
• If you don’t do well at the sports tryout or game, say, “I didn't make it, but I still had fun. Maybe if I practice and get better I can make the team next year.”
• If you do badly in math, say, “I didn't do as well as I could have. I need to work harder at math if I want to do well. I can ask my teachers or my mom or dad for help. I can go over the math problems we did in class.”
• If you don’t get to sit with your friends in class, say, “I’m disappointed I’m not sitting with my friends. I can ask to move or be with them or see them at recess.
• If you want a toy your friend has and you can’t afford it, say, “I really want a toy like Lee’s buy I don’t have enough money to buy one. I’ll ask Lee to come over and bring his toy and we can play with it together.”
• If you accidentally rip a favorite outfit, say, “I feel sad about wrecking my outfit. I’ll ask Mom if she can fix it.”
• If your friend beats you in some important activity, say, “I really wanted to win. I like being first and sometimes I am. Maybe next time I will be.”
Think of other situations where you could practice your positive voice.

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