How To Help Your Child Create A Vision Board And Start Manifesting Their Dreams

You’ve heard of a vision board, right? You may even have one for yourself. But it may not have occurred to you until now that a vision board for kids is a thing — and that it may just be a thing that could help your child visualize (and realize) their goals. By now, you probably know how effective visualization is. According to Psychology Today, mental imagery impacts numerous cognitive processes in the brain, from attention and perception to planning and memory. As such, visualization builds confidence, increases motivation, and basically primes you for future success. Score!

Given this information, we probably don’t have to underscore why a vision board for kids could be such a helpful tool. But what would one even look like? How do you help your little one (or tween or teen) put their goals on paper in this visual format? Here’s some good news: Creating vision boards makes for a DIY activity that both you and your kiddo will find fun. To help you on the path to visual manifestation, we’ve got all the details you need to get started.

What is a vision board for kids?

In essence, a vision board is a visual representation of your goals. It consists of various images, words, and even 3D objects that symbolize what you would like to see in your future. In this sense, vision boards are the same for adults and kids. Granted, what you have on your board may be very different than what your eight-year-old daughter puts on her board. But, by nature, vision boards are highly personal, anyway. The goal remains the same: To help you manifest your dreams through daily visualization.

What kind of things should your child include?

One of the best parts of helping your child create a vision board is opening a dialogue with them about what they want from life. In all likelihood, you’ll learn things about your kid you were unaware of before this exercise! Not sure where to start the conversation? Use the following questions as a jumping-off point. (You can tailor the questions to your child’s specific age and comprehension level.)

• Who inspires you right now?
• What makes you happy?
• Which words resonate with you?
• What do you find most important in your life?
• Is there a place in the world you’d like to travel to see?
• What are some foods you want to try?
• What kind of home life would you like to have?
• Name three things you want to experience in the next five years.
• If you met a new friend tomorrow, what would you like them to be like?
• What are your favorite activities or hobbies?
• How do you want to feel? More confident? More powerful?
• What would you like to study more?
• (For older kids) Do you want to go to college? Where?
• What is your dream job?
• If you started your own company, what would it be?
• What is one contribution you’d like to make to the world?
• What are some of your favorite things?
• What parts of your life do you enjoy the most now?
• What would you like to do that you haven’t done yet?
• What skills or activities would you like to try?
• What kind of house do you want to live in?
• If you could anywhere in the world, where would you go?

How do you make a simple vision board?

Here’s even more good news, Mama — a vision board for kids is a blissfully easy thing to make! You just need some old magazines, crafting supplies (glue, scissors, etc.), and a background/board. The latter could be a letter-sized piece of cardstock paper, a poster board, a message board, a corkboard, or even an entire wall in your child’s room. You determine the scope of the project.

Once you have all your supplies ready, ask your child the brainstorming questions above and any other questions that occur to you along the way. Then, keeping those answers in mind, have them comb through publications or images on the internet to gather pictures for their board. You could even set them up with their own board on Pinterest and let them gather ideas there. So, for example, for a child who dreams of becoming a marine biologist, their vision board may include a picture of a shark or the ocean. If the word “empowerment” resonates with them, they can spell it out on their board. And if they can’t wait to go to Disney World, a picture of Cinderella’s castle makes sense.

Why make a vision board for kids?

It’s difficult to find downsides to doing this with your child. Well, as long as you don’t get too carried away and put undue pressure on your offspring to manifest a million lofty goals before the age of 10 (or something equally unfair — you get the gist).

The pros of vision boarding with kids? First and foremost, you’re spending quality time together and learning more about your child. But also, you’re teaching your child important concepts like goal-setting, the power of positive thinking and dreaming big, growth mindset, and being accountable for their own success.

How can your kids improve themselves every day?

You’re never too young to become a better version of yourself and creating a vision board is the first step. Children can further develop their character and goals by taking action to improve themselves.

• Exercise.
• Try something new together (like roller skating!).
• Make each other laugh.
• Give your child a journal. Writing down your feelings is a great way to put things into perspective and express your emotions.
• Play the gratitude game and list all the things you’re grateful for each day.
• Encourage them to take risks. Trying new things is scary, but that’s where children learn the most about themselves.
• Allow your child to make their own decisions.
• Tell your kids to talk to themselves positively. It might sound a little strange but speaking goodness or “light” into yourself is an excellent way to self soothe, ease stress and reassure yourself.
• Praise your children. It’s important to celebrate your kid’s accomplishments, but take the time to talk about their failures and turn them into learning opportunities. Let’s say your kid didn’t do so well on a test. Instead of giving them a hollow hooray, say something like, “It’s OK that this wasn’t your best score. I’m still proud of you. Next time we’ll study together, and you’ll score higher.”