5 Ways to a Raise Strong Girl

A couple of years back I shared some ideas for building self esteem in kids. It has remained one of my favorite posts because the truth is self esteem is the foundation for many other important things. When kids feel good about themselves it makes everything easier.

Today’s topic is like that. Strength is another trait that sits at the base of everything else. When you are physically, mentally and emotionally strong… the other things in life just seem to be easier.

I’ve teamed up with Viactiv^® to talk about strength in girls. We are getting close to the tween years around here and I can use all the help I can get in understanding how to help Little M become the strongest, healthiest person she can be.

Viactiv’s age chart shows how much daily calcium is recommended based on age. (The chart also shows which foods contain calcium which is very helpful!)

5 ways to Raise a Strong Girl

Read books about strong girls. Books are awesome for starting or expanding on a conversation. Some of our favorite books with strong girls are Fancy Nancy, Rosie Revere, Engineer and Magic Tree House.  I also love this list of books with strong female characters.

Be strong. Go even further than that. Be strong and be proud of just how strong you are. Let your daughter see you beam as you share stories of strength. I delivered my second surrogate baby in March. I was determined to deliver her without pain meds. Not because I needed to or because I think everyone should… because I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. I am that strong. You better believe my Little M heard about it more than once!

Find strength in familiar places. Strength is a funny thing. It can be something obvious or hidden. It can be physical, emotional or mental. Help your daughter see many different types of strength by searching it out together. “Wow! Look how fast that girl made it across the monkey bars! She must have very strong arms.” “Your teacher decided to stop working and stay home with her kids. What a hard decision to make. She had to be very strong. And I’m sure your strength and kindness helped make it easier for her.” “Your friend was crying when she fell off her bike, it must have hurt. But then she got back up and tried again. What a strong and brave girl!”

Compliment acts of strength. Finding strength in others is a great start but complimenting the strength your daughter already shows will help her see just how strong she already is. “It is not easy to apologize when you make a mistake. I’m proud of you for being strong and doing what was right.” “You kicked that ball all the way across the yard! You have super strong legs.”

Actively work to become stronger. Part of what our daughters need to see is that we are willing to grow and change. Improving as people on a regular basis can be a fun and exciting thing. Exercise together as a family, read books that help you become stronger at a certain skill and incorporate routines that make your life healthier. Let your daughter see what it looks like to love who you are while you work to become stronger.

One way we will be actively becoming stronger together is to start adding Viactiv^® into our daily routine. One Viactiv Calcium Soft Chew (500 mg of calcium and 500 IU of Vitamin D) taken twice daily provides 100% of the daily value of calcium for most women, plus vitamins D and K.

According to a 2010 study published in The Journal of Nutrition, 86% of teen girls do not get enough calcium in their daily diets. With 95% of peak bone mass is present by age 20, this is not a good time to be calcium deficient.

Viactiv Soft Chews can be tossed into your daughters lunch tote and saved for an after dinner nibble. Rather than swallowing a large calcium pill, Viactiv makes taking calcium enjoyable—especially for our almost teens! 

Save $2 on your next Viactiv Calcium Soft Chews. Viactiv is available at major retailers nationwide including CVS, Rite Aid, Target, Walgreens and Walmart, as well as supermarkets nationwide.

Find Viactiv online. Viactiv.com, Facebook, Instagram.

How do you build strength in your daughter? 

This is a product-provided, sponsored conversation that contains affiliate links. I received Viactiv products for my own personal use.  All opinions, text and experiences are my own.

Viactiv Calcium Soft Chews are available in milk chocolate and caramel flavors at major retailers including CVS, Rite Aid, Target, Walgreens and Walmart, as well as supermarkets nationwide. Save $2 on your next in-store purchase with the Viactiv printable coupon.

Learn more about Viactiv at www.Viactiv.com and enter their current prize promotions on Viactiv’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/Viactiv and new Instagram channel https://instagram.com/viactiv/.

This is a product-provided, sponsored conversation on behalf of Viactiv that contains affiliate links. I received Viactiv products for my own personal use. All opinions, text and experiences are my own.