Your child’s self-confidence can soar with this one simple word. Learn how ‘the power of yet’ shifts mindsets, develops resilience, and promotes emotional growth. Start empowering your child today.
There’s nothing more deflating than watching your child bomb!
And we’ve all been there. Maybe it’s the wannabe footballer who can’t score a goal. The student who can’t grasp the schoolwork. The aspiring actor who wasn’t chosen for the school play. Or, the little artist whose drawing was rejected as “too unique” for the Parents’ Day display – seriously?!
As parents, it hurts to see their disappointment. And when your child says things like “I’m no good,” or “I can’t do this,” it’s a struggle to know how to reassure them.
But what if there was one word that could reverse all that pain and discouragement and boost their confidence.
Well, it turns out, there is…
It’s just a tiny word. It has only three letters. But it has superpowers.
Meet: yet.
As a play therapist, I often work with kids who are down on themselves and feel worthless. I love the power of yet, for the way it boosts a child’s self-confidence, taking them from defeatist to go-getter.
So, in this post we’ll look at why this tiny word is so effective and the ways it builds self-confidence.
Boost Your Child’s Self-Confidence With ‘The Power of Yet’
Here’s what we’ll cover.
- The Power of Yet: A Growth Mindset Word for Kids
- What Is the Growth Mindset?
- 4 Ways Yet Builds a Child's Self-Confidence
- Confidence-Building: Putting The Power of Yet into Everyday Parenting
- Power of Yet Coloring Page – A Fun Way to Boost Self-Confidence
- Final Thoughts: Helping Kids Believe in Themselves
The Power of Yet: A Growth Mindset Word for Kids
It may seem small, but ‘yet’ can reframe a child’s entire outlook.
Instead of saying:
- “I can’t do this” → “I can’t do this yet.”
- “I’m no good at maths” → “I’m not good at maths yet.”
This tiny shift encourages children to see themselves as learners on a journey, not failures stuck in place. It opens up a world of possibilities.
That’s because yet means “up to now”. It’s so simple it’s easy to miss how this can work magic – but here’s what’s happening. Yet grounds us in the present—the right now—while reminding us that the future can look different, regardless of past setbacks.
It moves kids from a fixed mindset (“I can’t, I’m not smart enough”) to a growth mindset (“I can learn, I can improve”).
What Is the Growth Mindset?
It was American psychologist, Carol Dweck, who first highlighted the ideas of the growth mindset.
In her research she found that children with a growth mindset believe intelligence and abilities can grow with practice and effort, while those with a fixed mindset believe skills are unchangeable.
This shift is powerful—it turns setbacks into opportunities, and frustration into motivation.
(Want to go deeper? Read my post on helping kids develop a growth mindset.)
4 Ways Yet Builds a Child’s Self-Confidence
Research shows that adding yet to your child’s self-talk can build a growth mindset and increase confidence, resilience and emotional strength. Here’s how:
1. Yet frees children from perfectionism
Perfectionism puts huge pressure on children. It creates a fear of failure and makes them afraid to try.
But by adding yet, they learn mistakes are part of the learning process. This helps them take risks, stay creative, and feel proud of effort—not just results.
Think of all the inventions that came from mistakes—like the Post-it note, created when a scientist’s experiment didn’t go as planned. Without that ‘failure,’ we wouldn’t have one of the world’s most useful tools today!
💛 Parent tip: Praise progress, not perfection.
2. Yet reduces harmful social comparison
Children naturally compare themselves to their friends and classmates. But constant comparison can damage self-worth and even cause anxiety and depression.
Yet helps kids shift focus from competing with others to improving their own skills step by step. It allows them to celebrate their own achievements while respecting the successes of others—creating a positive atmosphere and strengthening social skills.
💛 Parent tip: Encourage your child to track their own progress instead of measuring against others.
3. Yet boosts self-esteem
The feeling they’ll “never” succeed creates low self-esteem in children. Yet has the power to free them from this prison. It replaces “never” with “not yet,” unlocking the belief that with practice, improvement is possible. Over time, this grows genuine self-confidence.
💛 Parent tip: Celebrate effort and resilience as much as achievements.
4. Yet builds resilience
Resilient children bounce back from setbacks. Yet helps them see challenges as temporary, not permanent. This helps build a positive outlook of patience, perseverance and motivation. It develops hope and optimism—key traits for dealing with life’s ups and downs.
💛 Parent tip: Model resilience by using yet in your own language.
(Looking for more ways to support your child’s emotional wellbeing? Here’s 21 play therapy techniques parents can use right away.)
Confidence-Building: Putting The Power of Yet into Everyday Parenting
It’s easy to reframe your child’s thinking by using ‘yet’.
Every time you hear your child say, “I can’t”, gently remind them:
- “You can’t do it yet, but you’re learning.”
- “You’re not there yet, but you’re on your way.”
This small shift helps shape their inner voice. Since most of our daily thoughts are negative, teaching children to use positive self-talk early on gives them a powerful tool for self-confidence and mental well-being.
Power of Yet Coloring Page – A Fun Way to Boost Self-Confidence
Want to make the power of yet come alive for your child? Check out my Power of Yet Coloring Page in the ‘Crazy Beautiful Spirit’ Etsy shop! It’s a fun, creative way to help kids visualise growth, perseverance, and self-belief while they color.
Final Thoughts: Helping Kids Believe in Themselves
The word yet may be tiny, but it can make a huge difference in your child’s self-confidence. And it’s one of the simplest confidence-building strategies you can use.
Over time, yet becomes more than a word—it becomes a mindset.
So, the question is: have you started using it yet?
You might also enjoy exploring a few other ways to boost a child’s self-confidence, right here on the blog:
- Positive Affirmations for Kids – Explore simple, everyday practices, that plant little seeds of positivity in your child’s mind today – and grow into a lifelong mindset of self-belief.
- Growth Mindset for Children – Discover how adopting a growth mindset can strengthen your child’s self-confidence and support their mental and emotional wellbeing
- Empowering Kids Through Positive Self-Talk – Discover how your child’s inner dialogue shapes their confidence, and explore practical ways to develop encouraging self-talk.
- Guided Meditations for Children – See how these gentle, imaginative journeys can help kids manage anxiety while also building positivity and self-confidence.
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