It feels like every day, something else is happening in our world that makes the adults in the room wonder what we’re doing. In difficult times like that, it’s hard to remember that it’s our job to continue teaching hope to children. We are who they look to for guidance, structure, and how to adult. I argue that now, more than ever, it’s important to be the role model our children need to see, with so many others in the spotlight going down paths we simply would never want for our children. We need to show them a better way. This is the most important thing.
Table of Contents
- A Plan for Everyday Hope
- Teaching Hope to Children with Others
- Teaching Kindness and Action
- Looking Forward
- Need Help Getting Started?
Our children, especially small children, are always watching us. They notice when we are worried about big problems. They hear us talk about scary events or money troubles. They see us get upset. What they need from us is not someone who is never afraid. They need a daily guide. They need someone who can say, “Yes, this is hard, but we can find a way through it.” Our job is to give them a map for dealing with a difficult world. We need to show them how to be strong and keep going, helping them see the possible outcomes beyond the current moment of darkness.
This is not about pretending everything is fine. It is about making a choice every single day to model a positive outlook. We choose to focus on what is good and what we can do. When a scary news story about an outpouring of violence comes on, we can turn the TV off. We can choose to read a book of hopeful stories together or play a game instead.
This shows our children where we want to put our energy. We teach them that we see the bad things, but we do not let them take over. This is a key part of building emotional intelligence. We show them they have power over their own unwieldy emotions. That lesson is stronger than any words.
A Plan for Everyday Hope
So, what does this look like in real life? It is in the small, normal things we do. Our daily life can be built on good ideas like kindness, not giving up, and helping others. Starting the day by sharing something we are thankful for can make the morning calm. This practice offers the assurance of things hoped for, reminding everyone that good things are still possible, even when times are tough.
It teaches a strong kind of hope that is not based on everything going perfectly, but on knowing we can handle problems together. We cannot shield our children from the world around them, but we can teach them how to look at it through a macro lens and determine the best way forward.
When a child feels sad because something went wrong, we can help. Maybe they did not get picked for the basketball team. We can say, “I know you are sad. It is okay to feel that way. This is a challenging time, but it is not the end of your story. Let us think about what we can learn from this. Sometimes a setback is a good thing in disguise, leading us to a new friend or a different passion.” This helps them see the bigger picture and the flow of the human experience.
So many people, especially those in education who are seeing large amounts of our children each day, are recognizing that there is, in fact, a lack of hope and an increase in apathy in our kids. Given the world they are growing up in, watching the adults struggle financially, listening to family members bicker over politics, and having a seeming lack of a bright future, it’s no wonder. We need to pump the brakes and change course, or we are going to have an entire generation of children who don’t see the point, because to them, there isn’t one.
This is why our work is so important right now. We need to help children learn to look at the whole story, not just the bad part. An intelligent child is not just one who gets good grades. It is a child who can see that a mistake is not forever. We help them by cheering for small goals and for trying hard. We show them that getting better is the goal, not being perfect.
At school or in childcare settings, the teacher guides the students, while at home, the parent guide the child, both using hopeful stories of perseverance as a daily guide through difficult times. Talk about a time you failed at something but kept trying. Read books about people who overcame life’s challenges. These stories are like lights in the fog. They show that the end of the tunnel exists.
Teaching Hope to Children with Others
Hope does not grow alone. It grows with other people. One great way is to create connections, even with virtual buddies. A great buddy gives a safe place to talk about feelings of fear. Many programs for young children and older kids use this idea. They know that guidance from a caring person can build hope. We should help our children make meaningful relationships with people of all ages. Friends who cheer them on become part of their support team. This shows that caring and help come from real people around us.
This feeling of team goes beyond our family. We can help kids feel powerful by letting them help their community. An older child can write a respectful letter to their state representatives about something they care about. This teaches them that their voice matters. It fights the feeling that one person cannot do anything. After big, scary events in the country, like what happened at the US Capitol, we should talk about it.
Use open-ended discussion questions: “How did that make you feel this past week? What are better ways for people to disagree?” We do not have to give all the answers. We just have to let them think and talk. This helps them understand hard things.
Teaching Kindness and Action
The tools for hope are built on caring for others and knowing we can help. We can teach kids that their first response to stress can be a mindful pause. Then, they can choose to talk to someone or do something helpful. This creates a calm inside them. We can show them that helping others is a powerful way to fight sadness and is the good news they can create. Doing a family project lets them experience kindness in action. Helping a classmate who is alone shows them they can make a difference. This active caring proves they can be part of the good in the world.
We can start this in early childhood. Sing happy songs together with hand motions. Read books where the characters solve problems. Always talk about their feelings. From a very young age, they learn that all feelings are okay as part of the flow of the human experience. They learn that feelings do not have to control them. We show them that in their own ways, human beings can make the world better by being patient, kind, and creative.
Looking Forward
We are not trying to raise children who think the world is perfect. We are trying to raise children who see problems and believe they can help fix them. We want to give them tools to navigate life’s challenges.
Then, when the next big problem appears on the news, their first thought will not just be fear. It will be a brave thought about what could be done. They will turn to their friends and family. They will believe in our shared power to make things better.
This work is our gift to the future. It is how we pass on a legacy of hope. It is how we make sure that when our children are the adults in charge, they will not say, “What’s the use?” They will say, “What can we do next?” They will not inherit a perfect world. They will inherit something stronger: the habit of hoping, the skill of finding light with others, and the knowledge that they are part of making the human story better.
We build this better future one child, one kind moment, one act of help at a time. It starts today, in our homes, with the TV off, with our phones put down. It starts with our attention and our choice to show them how to hope.
Need Help Getting Started?
As we navigate this world together, remember that the first step toward building resilience is creating a harbor of safety. To help you begin these peaceful conversations, I invite you to download my free guide, “5 Prompts to Help Kids Feel Safe.” These gentle, ready-to-use prompts are designed to help calm their hearts…and yours. They will help you talk with your kids when headlines feel scary or overwhelming. You’ll learn how to listen first, reassure with honesty, and create small moments of calm that remind them your home is a safe, steadfast place, no matter what’s happening outside.
Sign up today for your free one-page PDF, and let’s take this first, simple step toward hope, together.
