Praise and Encouragement, we often underestimate its importance in parenting. I know some parents may think that their children should just behave without any adult intervention. Research shows that lack of praise and attention for appropriate behaviors leads to an increase in misbehaviour. Let’s think about the benefits:
The Benefits of Praise and Encouragement:
- Its quick and takes very little time, you can use simple statements such as ” I like the way you are playing quietly”
- It costs nothing, unlike monetary rewards
- It can be used to enable children to master new skills
- It can help them to develop a positive self-image
- You can use it to help motivate your child when they need to stay with a difficult task.
I know you may be thinking I dont need too or you simply don’t know how or when to implement it, so here are some ideas:
How to implement and make it Effective
- Be specific, ensure it’s named, labelled and describes what you see, so instead of saying just:
“Good job,” say ….“You could say good you are sitting quietly”, or thank you for sharing with your brother.
- Show enthusiasm, use the right tone and voice, smile, greet, hug be your natural warm self.
- Praise immediately, within five seconds. Sometimes praise is given hours after the event, this is when it loses its potency and value. Children live very much in the moment so, seize the moment. At first, you may have to praise more readily and then it can more intermittent.
- Work on one behavior at a time, so you can really work to change that behavior.
- Avoid using praise with putdowns, unintentionally parents can praise but then use sarcasm etc. For example
That was great but next time……thanks for making your bed but why can’t you do it every morning?
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With Love Catherine
