descriptive praise examples for toddlers

Highlight daily happenings – When your child finally waits nicely for a turn with a toy, notice it and give descriptive praise. When possible, the teacher should determine and abide by a student's preferences for receiving individual praise. Unlabeled praise can help children feel good but does not help improve behavior. Carefully crafted praise and encouragement are sunshiny, spiritual vitamins for your toddler! Sound familiar? Compliment something unexpectedly and authentically. One reason human is the smartest animal on Earth is because we want to learn and understand cause and effect of matters. Kids who are praised by comparison don’t stop comparing when they fail. Words of encouragement for kids, when used right, can have a powerful positive impact. It’s generous of you to share your cookie. Effort: When your child is learning a new skill, praise can encourage them to keep trying. How do you praise your toddler constructively? We can deliver descriptive praise very simply to children at the 1-3 word phrase level. Ability-vs-effort is not the only determining element in the effectiveness of an encouragement. Person versus process praise and criticism: Implications for contingent self-worth and coping. But the descriptive praise, “When you saw that Elliot forgot his sandwich, you gave him part of yours” gives a child a sense of her own abilities and accomplishments. Descriptive praise is telling children exactly what you like about their behaviour. Be Specific Use warm, admiring language when your little one is trying hard, for example, not to snatch the toy she covets from a playmate. You’re putting the smaller blocks on top of the bigger blocks.” Here are three benefits of using the right words of encouragement for kids. You might say, “You’re sharing the toys so nicely with Ellen. To avoid those potential pitfalls, parents can praise the process which is another type of encouragement related to effort​11​. Show off family photos with a 3-D collage. As you start using descriptive praise, be patient, it takes some practice. So, a descriptive praise would be Wow, you worked on that song all week, you learned every note. However, if encouraging words are not perceived as sincere and honest, children won’t feel very encouraged​1​. Wonderful! Appreciating children’s work can take many forms. You solved the problem with such great focus. First, having good results linked to ability may influence children to change their goals for achievements to result oriented. Everyone needs to overcome self-doubt and build confidence in their own abilities, appearances and personalities and words of praise are a fantastic way to add reassurance. Fragile Self‐Esteem in Children and Its Associations With Perceived Patterns of Parent‐Child Communication. Make sure you give plenty of praise when you catch your child being good. When we perform well in comparison, we are proud​19​, excited and motivated​20​. The evaluative praise, “You are a very generous person,” makes the child dependent on the judgment of the praiser. Learn how to help your child's social skills flourish. Be spontaneous. Kids thrive on our admiring words and glances. Paradoxically, such praise can lower these children’s motivation and sense of self-worth in setbacks​25​. So these kids are motivated to try again and they tend to improve in performance​7​. So praising ability has an immediate benefit in motivation, but it also has a long-term cost in vulnerability when facing failure or difficult situations. Unfortunately, many of the adult patients I see as a therapist remember feeling bad because of comments made by their parents and closest caregivers. These encouraging words are discounted when children think about their own behavior that is contrary to the praise (“That’s not true. If encouragements are so useful, does it mean that you should praise your son or daughter lavishly, and they will then be so motivated that you will never have to worry about them not working hard in school? ?" when your baby hands you a juice bottle instead of throwing it, your baby knows that you are pleased. Oct 30, 2015 - Descriptive Praise is the opposite of how we usually praise. It's … How to praise a child with words appropriately and effectively? Whether it is academic performance or sports achievements, “Well done”, “Good job” or “You’re so smart” are common encouraging words to tasks well done. The reason for going to school is to learn, not just to do well in tests. This type of praise is called labeled praise. Cool! Kamins ML, Dweck CS. Their healthy dose of curiosity leads them to try out all sorts of behaviors to see "What will happen if . You worked really hard for this. What an angel you are! Amazing Effort! Like conditional praise, social-comparison encouragement teaches children that winning, not learning, is the goal. Although it may take a bit more effort on our part, the results are worth it. “When your daughter practices for weeks and finally learns to ride a two-wheel bicycle, for example, give her praise for sticking with it,” says Dr. Walfish. You did very well. It takes less than a second to dish out common evaluative words. Such encouraging words for kids do tend to negatively affect children in two different ways. Your Project Is First Rate! He may tug on the corner of a tablecloth and thereby, alas, topple some breakable dishes. Get 10% off your first order at the Scholastic Store Online when you sign up! You’ve learned so much and you will be able to use this knowledge to improve your skills. Instead of: “You did it! You could be reading the newspaper, take a glance over your children’s work, and say “Wonderful.” Specific Praise Improves On‐task Behaviour and Numeracy Enjoyment: A study of year four pupils engaged in the numeracy hour. At the high school level, most students can accept delayed praise. Gaines LM, Duvall J, Webster JM, Smith RH. If used copiously, some types of encouragement can actually do more harm than good. give them a big hug, high-five or pat on the back to acknowledge their achievements. These conditional encouragements instill a sense of contingent self-worth in kids​13​. "Lamont, I'm impressed with how you went to the glossary to find definitions for new words." Frequently we use kind of milk-toast adjectives like “great,” focus on physical characteristics (“cute” or “pretty”), or praise a child for being so “smart.” Honey Oatmeal Soap for Dry Skin There are a couple problems with always praising a child’s appearance or constantly calling them “good” or … Handing out encouraging words for tasks that are easy to complete, or not done well, is perceived as insincere. Great! When kids view that their feelings of self-worth are contingent on approval and positive judgement, they seek goals that are self-valuation focused. Overpraising also conditions kids to expect praises every time. Your youngster may pull out all the interesting wrappers in a big bag of garbage left on the floor to explore their colors and textures. Such a learning mindset can increase kids’ intrinsic motivation, persistence and enjoyment​4​. The key lies in how and when children are praised. ‘Descriptive Praise’ is a way of giving your child appreciation and approval every day so that they are more motivated to listen and willing to co-operate. You’ve worked really hard on this every day and I like how you’ve drawn this picture using bright colors. Quietly encourage small steps toward success. You were so careful when you stacked the blocks and see how tall it is. Waters LE, Loton D, Jach HK. Other factors include age of the child (can they distinguish ability/effort?) However, this child He will also avoid activities that may cause negative judgement. (“I’m an angel for sharing a cookie? This may motivate children who have succeeded to do more and try harder. Chalk K, Bizo LA. The following is a list of encouragement that can be used on three most common occasions. To prevent failure, these kids avoid challenges or stop learning new things that require skills they don’t already have an advantage over others. After all, that’s how most of us were raised — we were compared in school, in sports, in extracurricular activities, in university entrance exams such as SAT or ACT, at work. Thank you! Praise Children’s Efforts And The Process, Not Their Achievement or Ability. Have toddler tantrum problem? They are then motivated to repeat the correct behavior. Specific praise works best because your child knows exactly what you like. Children face situations regularly with which they have no experience dealing and words of praise go a long way. When these kids face difficulties, they show more negative emotion, frustration, anxiety and helplessness than children who are mostly praised for their mastery of the task​22​. If you keep it up every day, I believe you will do very well. Let’s give a big cheer!”) Giving the child a stamp on her or his hand or a small sticker. For example, ‘I love the way you shared your Lego with your brother just now’. Only one participant showed large differences between the conditions, with the general praise condition being the most effective. Once these children encounter failure in the praised domain, they also quit faster. Honest praise provides children with the opportunity to gain a realistic understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. Deci EL, Driver RE, Hotchkiss L, Robbins RJ, Wilson IM. Find out why there's no better time than the present to jump-start reading aloud to your kids. Winning or losing doesn’t define who you are. The younger the student, the more immediate the praise should be. Way to Go! We sat down with the Scholastic Book Clubs Editors to find out what's trending in children's literature -- from activity kits to re-imagine classics. The Praise Paradox: When and Why Praise Backfires in Children With Low Self-Esteem. Hank planned to give Kathy some extra hands during the first week of implementing her new strategy. Here are some other examples of specific, descriptive praise: "Excellent prediction, Farrah. between general and descriptive praise for three participants. I can see that you’ve worked very hard putting them together. Parent's Book Review: "Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves" by Naomi Aldort's. Diener CI, Dweck CS. Toddlers are often cranky because they want to get what they want, when they want it — which is immediately. You came up with an excellent answer for the last question. Kids as young as two years old or preschoolers develop a sense of self-worth. We sometimes praise our children purposely to boost their self-esteem, motivate them, encourage certain behavior, or protect from them from hurtful feelings. What type of Praise works best? or "You showed me you wanted juice! Thompson T. Do we need to train teachers how to administer praise? You shouldn’t gush, but you should absolutely say "Thank you!" Those who cannot recover to try again after experiencing failure lack the resilience needed to succeed in life. They are found to be more effective in promoting desired behavior​5​. For example, Brummelman E, Crocker J, Bushman BJ. Think about how it feels when you compare yourself with a more successful peer. As a result, students with higher intrinsic motivation tend to have better academic achievements. One older toddler whose parents had taken her to the mall to pick up a few things found herself waiting in her stroller a lot longer than expected. You do. For example, “I see you are ready to go to school, you have your coat on and you even put your toys away.”. TM ® & © 2020 Scholastic Inc. All Rights Reserved. An analysis of learned helplessness: Continuous changes in performance, strategy, and achievement cognitions following failure. Specific and descriptive comments signal you have paid attention and you really care. Such encouragement can lead to children’s self-criticism and even intentional sabotage to resolve such discrepancy. Because effort is a quality that we all have the power to control and improve, these children will therefore focus more on putting in effort to practice or develop skills than on pursuing results per se. Admire and acknowledge his helpfulness. An analysis of learned helplessness: II. Acknowledge Cooperation I am concerned about child development specialists who disparage praise for young children. It’s also more genuine than non-specific praise like ‘You’re a good boy’. If you are like me, you have used these words to encourage children, hoping they will feel good about themselves, their work, and their efforts. This short video demonstration shows examples of how to use descriptive praise to encourage good behaviour. The less general or generic the encouragement, the more likely it is factually correct and perceived as sincere. Your strategy in solving this puzzle by separating the colors was excellent! I only got one out of three questions!”). When children are praised for their efforts in doing a task, they learn to attribute the success to their efforts. It can work well for children of all ages, including teenagers. Look out for a confirmation email from us.

Want to connect now? Children's self-worth develops as an aside from working hard, surmounting frustrations, and overcoming obstacles. These children tend to have less stable self-esteem​17​. The Big-Fish–Little-Pond Effect for Academic Self-Concept, Test Anxiety, and School Grades in Gifted Children. — Amy McCready, Founder of "Positive Parenting Solutions" You have so much room to grow as long as you don’t give up. We as clinicians do it naturally with very young children. To avoid overpraising or sounding insincere, the best way to use words of encouragement is to give them spontaneously when they’re not expected. Failure then implies a lack of a fixed ability. The effects of praise on children’s intrinsic motivation: A review and synthesis. You were being a good friend.” The Effects of Social-Comparison Versus Mastery Praise on Children’s Intrinsic Motivation. Ability praise sent a subtle message that previous success was because of the praised traits. Plus they know the praise is a genuine one. Toddlers hear plenty of noes from their parents, so this is a wonderful time to make sure that you are crafting lots of positive remarks to praise your child, too. Find us on social media!