How to Inspire Kids to Be Great

Children are very impressionable and attentive. Even when you don’t think they’re listening, they usually are. They need a responsible and caring adult in their lives to help them grow up with the same values. You can be a positive inspiration to a young person just by giving her encouragement and a new perspective. Commit yourself to inspiring the young person in your life to be great.

Identify Their Strengths

The first step to inspiring a child to be great is to observe him and try to figure out his strengths. For instance, if he’s the class comedian, he might be good at public speaking or even acting. If he likes to argue his points, he might make a good lawyer in the future. If the girl in your life is a Chatty Cathy, she might make a great talk show host or newscaster.

Tell the Child Exactly Why She’s Great

Once you identify the child’s strengths you should tell her about them. Children are not ignorant — they are very smart and intuitive, especially now that they have so many forms of technology and information at their disposal. One of the top questions that a child will ask is “why?” So if you’re trying to inspire the child in your life to reach amazing heights in the future, tell her exactly why you think she’s great. Explain to her that you noticed she is very good at debating her points and communicating with people, or that she’s very graceful and might make a good dancer. Talk to her about the various careers that require those same skills so that the wheels can start turning in her head as to what she wants to be when she grows up.

Show Them the Results

Kids also need to see the benefits of hard work over many years so that they will be more motivated to do the same thing when they get older. Find a person who has been successful in the field of interest of your young charge and ask that person to show the child what he does and how he lives. This experience can make a very powerful impression on a young person.

While it is important to encourage children to be great, be careful not to push your own personal agenda onto them. Plant seeds of positivity and then allow the child to flourish on his or her own.