How Can We Instill Hope?

Written by Laura Giles

Hope is often defined as a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. At times, it may be difficult to hold on to hope and people even describe feeling hopeless in certain situations. How can we teach children that there is always hope and to hold on to that, even when they are going through difficult times?

Some characteristics of kids who feel hopeful include: feeling optimistic, having self-worth, setting and working toward goals, and even sharing their hope with others. Kids who tend to feel hopeful also realize that when something goes wrong, they will still be okay.

Studies have shown that when kids feel hopeful, they get better grades in school, have higher self-esteem, believe in themselves more, and feel a strong sense of purpose in life. Hope can be a protective factor against depression and anxiety. Doing things like discussing the future, working on goals, and being supportive of children can help to foster hope.

How to Instill Hope in Children

• Regularly discuss the future with children. What are their realistic goals? What can they do to attain these goals?
• Help children to make small mini-goals to help them achieve their larger goals. Check in often about how they are doing.
• Provide a warm, loving, and supporting environment. Let them know that they can come to you for help.
• Point out times when difficult things happened, but your child was okay.
• Talk about ways to solve problems that arise.
• Point out characters in books or movies that held onto hope.
• Tell your children about times when you felt hopeful and how it helped you.
• Talk often about what you can do when you begin to feel hopeless.
• Check in regularly, asking how your kids are feeling and what is going on in their lives.
• Remind kids that hope is different from a wish. It is an active process.
• Read books about hope. Do a quick Internet search to find some. A few examples are

- “Something Beautiful” by Sharon Dennis Wyeth

-“One Smile” by Cindy McKinley

-“Gandhi: A March to the Sea” by Alice B. McGinty

-“Galimoto” by Karen Lynn Williams

-“Before the Ever After” by Jacqueline Woodson

-“The Hope Chest” by Karen Schwabach

1. Chrome-extension://oemmndcbldboiebfnladdacbdfmadadm/https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1114&context=familyperspectives

2. https://news.asu.edu/20210615-solutions-science-hope-more-wishful-thinking