The number of young children who are suffering from low self-esteem is rising at an alarmingly fast rate, and if not properly addressed can lead to much more serious problems in adolescence. According to Dr Alexandra Delis-Abrams, low self-esteem has been linked to children dropping out of school, violent behaviour, teen pregnancy, low academic achievement and suicide.

The use of positive affirmations is a simple and effective way to reprogram a child’s self-belief system and ensure that a positive self-view is established before the child enters their teenage years.

As a mum to two young children, I have experienced first hand what the lack of self confidence can do to a child. I have studied the effects of positive affirmations on the psyche and how, with regular use, a new self-belief system can be built in a short period of time, thereby increasing self-esteem and building a strong and confident sense of self that is needed by the child to successfully navigate their teenage years.

Many lessons can be taught to children via the use of story books but while searching for a picture book that incorporated the use of positive affirmations to build self-esteem that I could read to my son, I couldn’t find any! The expert in this field, Louise Hay, has written a book for children about the use of positive affirmations (‘I think, I am’), but it is a how-to guide rather than a story book, and there is a huge gap in the market for a creative way to help younger children.