Affirmation Child's Craft - Building Self-Esteem With a Two-Part Craft Project

One thing I know for sure – it’s never too early to start learning to think positive! Here is a simple craft that children ages five through seven will enjoy creating. It involves two parts: one is making the three dimensional craft, and the other is writing and repeating an affirmation. Affirmations are positive first-person statements written in the present tense. They are often repeated throughout the day. It’s all a matter of giving our subconscious minds a positive blueprint for a happy, abundant life. This project is suitable for a small group of children also, for say a classroom or a church group.nnMaterials needed: (available at your local craft store) A small mirror, maybe 2-3 inches in diameter. It can be any shape. It needn’t be perfectly round. A small amount of air-dry nontoxic colored clay. Crayola makes a brand of clay that will work fine. Because it is air-dry clay, the project will not have to be baked in an oven, and it will harden in 24 hours.nnMethod: Step 1. Each child chooses a small amount of colored clay. The clay can be squished and blended, streaked or whatever design the children want to do. Step 2. Mold the clay into a lumpy ball shape. Place one edge of the mirror on the top of the lump and push down, so that the bottom of the lump now makes a flat base, and the mirror is partway stuck into the clay. The lump should now “stand up” by itself, with the mirror placed firmly in the top part of the clay. Step 3. The lump can be “decorated” by pushing in the blunt end of a pencil to make holes, and/or striations can be created by drawing lines in the clay with an open paper clip. The children can leave their thumb prints in one area, and smear another area so it is smooth. The only limit is the child’s imagination and common tools found around the house. Clay can be placed on the top edge of the mirror also, to hold it in place. Wipe the mirror clean before the clay completely dries. Set aside this lovely mirror creation. The second half of the project involves writing an affirmation to go along with the mirror. Some sample affirmations would be “I value myself.” “I honor who I am.” “I am worthy.” “I love myself.” “My life is filled with good things.” “My life is filled with love.” “I appreciate my special skills and talents.” A good point to remember is to phrase the affirmation so it has meaning to each individual child. Affirmations can be used to change the energy around any situation. As an example: If a child is having difficulty in a certain area of their life, or in school, an affirmation can be used to change and heal the energy around that situation. Repeating “I feel loved and protected all day long,” would help a child dealing with fearful thoughts of feeling alone and vulnerable. “I know what is best for me,” for a child dealing with peer pressure. As long as the affirmation feels natural and not forced, it will have a calming, soothing effect. It’s very important to phrase affirmations in positive terms, not in negative ones. As an example, saying “I am no longer selfish” is not an affirmation, and would undoubtedly create a situation of more selfishness. Instead, to feel more generous, a person would repeat “I am generous and loving to myself and others.” And if the person were feeling selfish, perhaps because of an underlying fearful thought of never having enough, an affirmation would be “I am always provided for,” or “I always have everything I need,” or “The Universe is a safe and loving place. I am abundantly cared for.” Negative statements have a tendency to create more of a situation that is not wanted. As an example, I ran into a friend of mine at the gym. She was upset because she had forgotten her gym bag and now had to skip her workout. She told me she’d been repeating to herself before she left the house, “Don’t forget your gym bag!” Her mind focused on the word “forget,” and sure enough, it created that very fact. If she had been repeating, “Remember your gym bag,” or “I always remember my gym bag,” perhaps she would have been able to work out.nnFinishing the children’s craft project: After the children have written out their affirmation with the help of an adult on a sturdy card or thick paper which when folded can stand up by itself, place the card and the mirror together. The mirror will remind the children of their inner beauty and self-worth as they repeat their affirmation throughout the day. Anyone of any age can use affirmations to create positive thoughts which in turn will create a wonderful life of beauty, purpose and promise!nn(Note: Enhancements can also be added to the mirror and affirmation if desired, such as sequins, feathers, paper cut-outs, etc.)nn© 2007 Connie BowennnNote: this article may be re-published freely as long as the following resource box is included at the end of the article and as long as you link to the URL mentioned in the resource box: