Compliments that will Inspire Children
Receiving a compliment for a job or work that we did, especially by someone we aim to impress, makes us feel proud of our efforts and accomplishments. Compliments let us know that others value our efforts and achievements and that we are meeting target goals. Compliments can also inspire us to sustain our efforts and meet future goals.
For children, receiving compliments from important adults in their life can be the inspiration they need to keep working on tasks that are difficult or perhaps less interesting to them. Here are 6 ways to compliment children that will lead to them feeling proud of themselves, feeling recognized for their efforts and accomplishments, and feeling inspired to continue to work towards goals.
Be specific in your praise. For example, rather than saying, “good job”, say “Wow, you finished that puzzle all by yourself!”, or “I like the way you calmly asked for help when you needed it.”
Acknowledge effort and hard work. For example, “I know this is hard, but I love the way you are working on it and trying your best.”
Acknowledge the effort that went into an accomplishment. For example, “You worked very hard to ______, you should be really proud of yourself!”
Mix up the compliments and say them with enthusiasm. For example, compliment with words like: super, wonderful, fantastic, amazing, epic, your rock, you did it, etc. It’s almost impossible to say those words without a smile and enthusiasm!
If efforts aren’t successful, still find something to compliment. For example, “I know your team didn’t win, but I love the way you were such a good sport.”
Ask them how they feel. For example,“Wow, you got dressed all by yourself! How do you feel about that?”
When you compliment children in this way they learn to recognize the relationship between their efforts and success. They develop a sense of pride in their accomplishments, which will help fuel future efforts. They also learn that success and pride does not always need to come from achieving their original goal.
