Children are born with an innate sense of wonder and infinite potential. Nurturing their curiosity and encouraging them as they grow tells them that they’re valued and loved for who they are — an essential part of helping kids grow into confident and capable adults.
When children feel safe and encouraged, they are more likely to take risks and try new things; when they receive positive reinforcement, it boosts their self-esteem and self-worth, and helps build a strong sense of identity. Throughout all of their inevitable growing pains, it’s important to remain a sturdy presence, and with the help of these wise words, affirm that they are safe, loved, and capable. Here are some encouraging and affirming quotes for all the young people who might need to hear them.
We all have different gifts, so we all have different ways of saying to the world who we are.Fred Rogers
Winning doesn't always mean being first. Winning means you're doing better than you've ever done before.Bonnie Blair, Olympic speed skater
You are enough just as you are.Meghan Markle
If you care about what you do and work hard at it, there isn’t anything you can’t do if you want to.Jim Henson
The time is always right to do what's right.Martin Luther King Jr.
Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.Babe Ruth
Try to be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.Maya Angelou
Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you greater than any obstacle.Christian D. Larson, teacher
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.Theodore Roosevelt
Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom.George Washington Carver, scientist
Dream big, and dare to fail.Norman D. Vaughan, explorer
I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be.Robert Munsch, children’s author
Photo credit: Kolpakova Daria/ Shutterstock
