Body positivity is about accepting and appreciating every aspect of your body and recognizing the unique strengths you have as an individual. It’s also about understanding that your worth isn’t tied to how you look or what you possess, but rather lies at the core of how you show up to the world.
Teaching children to embrace this mindset can impact their self-esteem, peer relationships, mental health and overall well-being. Here are some tips we’ve come up with:
Tips for fostering healthy body positivity in kids
Model the behavior
In an age of social media that sometimes reinforces harmful views about body image, teaching children the importance of positive body image is more important than ever. Children are impressionable, so it’s important to teach them how to show up in the world. It’s important to note that these babies tend to mimic what and how you talk about yourself…. And there’s no better way to teach this than by showing them, not telling them.
This includes your friends and family. Your girl squad is just as important as hers. The women we hang out with also leave an impression on your daughter. A great girl squad will help you spread your message of body positivity. Your child is looking to you. If you don’t love yourself, your child may not know what self-love is and may rely on others to provide it.
We asked Fat DoctorCaitlin, a PhD in clinical psychology, shares her views on how parental behavior impacts children. “Children learn about the world by observing their parents. When they see their parents checking out their bodies in the mirror, they learn to check their own bodies in the mirror. When caregivers are overly focused on food, they start judging themselves as if food has a morality, and what they eat determines their self-worth. This is a dangerous path that is easily avoided. Instead, model love, tolerance and acceptance.”
Children are observant and often imitate the behavior of the adults around them, so parents and caregivers need to be good role models. Body Positivity Speak kindly about your body and the bodies of others, avoid self-deprecating comments, and focus on what your body can do rather than how it looks.
Encourage healthy social media boundaries
As social media has become an inescapable part of everyday life, it is important to regularly monitor children who have access to it. As social media is filled with harmful ideas, it is easy for children to get caught up in the confusion of what is healthy and what is not. Hence, proper supervision by adults is important and necessary.
It’s important to talk to children, especially teens, about the lack of diverse body representation on television, in movies, in magazines, and on social media. It’s important to let them know that even if they don’t feel like they see themselves reflected in the media they consume, it doesn’t mean their body isn’t normal.
Most minors need adults’ help in understanding that the media often portrays unrealistic body standards, and it can be helpful to expose children to other media that celebrates different body types, abilities, and ethnicities during these conversations.
Create a positive environment
Children tend to thrive in environments where they feel accepted, nurtured and celebrated. Creating an environment of understanding and acceptance at homecan encourage young children to be accepting and kind to themselves and those around them.
The world is a tough place. Rules and expectations are a part of life. Help your child understand that there’s nothing wrong with being different. Labels don’t apply and children can be strong and beautiful. Part of growing up is learning about themselves, and unfortunately, some of that learning comes from the outside and isn’t always body positivity. Focus on celebrating internal qualities.
It helps to encourage positive body language whenever possible and to refrain from teasing or negative talk about other people’s looks or appearances. In this way, as a parent, you can make your home a safe space where your children feel valued for who they are, not for what they look like.
Teach them how to deal with bullying and negative comments
Kids of all ages are surprisingly resilient, but it’s never a bad idea to equip your child with the tools they need to navigate sticky situations. Your child will thrive if they have effective strategies for dealing with bullying or negative comments about their body image.
The world can be unkind, so it’s important to teach your children how to stand up for themselves and others in an assertive and respectful manner. It’s important to encourage open communication so that children feel safe sharing their experiences and asking their parents for help when they find themselves in such situations.
Teaching children the importance of body positivity is a skill that requires a lot of patience, empathy, and ongoing effort. By providing our children with the skills they need and laying the foundation for healthy boundaries with others, we not only give them the mental and emotional tools they need to thrive, but we also prepare them to become confident, self-aware adults.
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