Trying to choose a top resource for a classroom is impossible, it is like trying to pick an absolute top-ever song, you can’t, and with some many innovations coming out, it gets even harder for you to pick a favorite.
However, there is something quite magical about affirmation stations, and if we are honest, it is not even about what it is, in itself, but more about what it can do for those who use it.
Affirmation stations have an awesome impact on the young learners who decide to try them, it brings out a new confidence and self-worth that kids do not always have naturally.
It helps them to develop that and grow in their positive mindset.
It might seem a bit soppy or emotionally heavy, but it is a true thing, as well as the growth mindset, aiding your students in growing their self-esteem is one of the most powerful lessons you will ever teach.
Do you remember your days in kindergarten? We remember ours, it was hardly like what kids get now, but mental health, self-esteem, and confidence are now practiced.
As intelligent adults, we saw a gap in the classrooms and filled it. This is why we love affirmation stations.
What Are Affirmation Stations?
If you’re not familiar with the concept, let us introduce you to one of the most epic classroom innovations of recent times. Affirmation is an empowering but short phrase.
When the chips are down, you’re having a bad day, you’re feeling unmotivated and down in the dumps, affirmations are there to remind you that you can get through it. The more you repeat an affirmation, you train your brain to believe it.
Thus, affirmation stations are all about crafting a specific space inside the classroom that helps to prompt the children to affirm themselves and feel encouraged, supported, and confident, all things that they so desperately need at this young age.
One of the best parts of making use of an affirmation station is that it is always there for students when they need it.
It can be a very personal process for some students, and they might not even want to share their affirmations with you.
However they choose to use it is fine. The purpose of the affirmation station is that it gives them the opportunity to and the space to explore the relationship that they have with themselves.
Which is highly important in their growth into confident and well-adapted adults later in life.
How Do You Set Up An Affirmation Station In A Classroom?
Do you love this idea? We did! Want one in your classroom? Easily make it yourself! It is so easy to set up an affirmation station, you could have one in your classroom tomorrow.
It is such a simple thing to do and can have such a powerful impact on the kids, so, let’s help you make one for your class!
1. Gather Together Some Supplies
One of the most important parts of an affirmation station is a full-length mirror. This is because the primary concept behind an affirmation station is that as your students say or think their affirmations they will be looking at, and thus connecting with themselves.
A smaller mirror will do, but a full-length mirror is most effective.
You will then need some paper and card to print your affirmations out onto. If you have not got a laminator, or want to cut back on using laminate, use a thick card so that the affirmations will not curl over time.
After this, assemble your typical classroom decor stationery set, adhesive putty, tape, scissors, and such. And now it is time to get making the affirmations.
2. Make The Affirmations
Okay, now it is time to get creative, think up some affirmations. Consider how your students feel, put yourself in their shoes, and consider how they may want to be described, and how they might want to feel about themselves.
Lend an ear to positive feedback from your students, what kind of words do they use?
It also wouldn’t hurt to think back to when you were young and what kind of things you would have wanted to have seen on an affirmation station when you were in kindergarten.
Consider words such as the following:
Kind
Loyal
Capable
Valued
Brave
Smart
Joyful
Loved
Amazing
Remember you want any student to read these affirmations and feel that they are true concerning them.
Now, you will want to put these into a document, or perhaps a Canva template, to introduce some graphics and colors. Make them colorful and bright, think of sunshine, rainbows, flowers, and other positive symbolism.
Do not forget to add a header that sits at the top of the mirror to function as a ‘framing’ statement that kicks off the affirmations. A great choice for this would include:
“I am…”
“You are…”
“I feel…”
But, remember to keep it simple, less is more.
3. Put Together All The Elements
This is probably the most exciting part of this little project! You have to put it all together. Print and cut out all the affirmations, and place these around the long sides of the mirror. Finish off with the header at the very top.
Then, take a step back, look in the mirror, and test it out. Don’t feel silly, everyone needs a bit of self-love from time to time too! We didn’t say you couldn’t use this as well!
4. Introduce Your Students To The Affirmation Station & Watch What Happens.
This is the best part of all. Let your students know why you created the affirmation station and urge them to use it, encouraging them to make it a part of their routine, either when they enter the classroom in the morning or before they leave for the day.
Inform them that they can choose an affirmation that reflects how they are feeling on that day, or that they can set an affirmation as a goal for how they want to feel.
Let the students know they are welcome to share these affirmation choices with you, or they can keep their choices to themselves.
No matter which way your students choose to use the affirmation station will lead to great things in the end, and you will watch their confidence grow over time.
You will notice them start to feel more empowered, they will pick up empathy and respect for one another more often and will lift each other up with every opportunity to do so.
There will be a generally more positive feeling throughout the entire classroom environment.
Why Are Affirmation Stations Important?
Affirmation is very important for people of all ages. However, at a very young age such as those in kindergarten, it is so important that they develop their self-esteem and confidence. Positive affirmations for kids can help their emotional well-being for a start.
This improvement in their emotional well-being can help them to perform better in school and learning affirmations at a young age can help them continue positivity throughout their schooling.
It is also known to help kids to interrupt negative or anxious thoughts.
Children are never too young to start learning tools that help nurture mental health and self-worth. Learning affirmations can also prevent bullying later in life, or lessen the likelihood of children becoming bullies.
It is also important to note that while, as teachers, we know our children well, we do not know what their home lives are like.
If they are having a hard time at home, having something as simple as an affirmation station could be a saving grace that helps them feel better.
No matter what a child is feeling or their situation inside or outside of their home, an affirmation station can be a safe space where they are reminded that they are good, kind, loyal, and loved.
Overall
Being a teacher is about more than just lesson plans and the curriculum, as kindergarten teachers, we teach children about life, themselves, and the world. Part of this is showing them how to manage their mental health and feel confident.
Affirmations stations are one of the many tools that help young kindergarten children develop their brains aiding them in becoming well-adjusted adults later on!
Hi, my name is Helena Waters and I was a teacher for 40 years before retiring last year.
During my time as a teacher I dedicated the majority of it to making classrooms as fun as possible, with educational parties, fun activities, and low cost entertainment that made the children excited about learning.
I taught children of all ages, from preschoolers to high school students. Now, with the pandemic having uprooted everything that children once knew about school and learning, I think that the need for my ideas is bigger than ever.
That is why I created School Sparks, a place in which I can write down and share all of my ideas on how to get students excited about going to school again. I hope that you’ll find some useful within a school setting, even at home too!
