I believe that helping give our children the confidence to try new things, and support them along the way is one of the most important jobs we have as parents. A gift we can give is to build them up using their strengths, not tear them down for their failures.
Finding the words to foster that support and encouragement can be tricky – you want to tell them they are going a good job, and also give them the confidence and inspiration them to keep going. This is especially important when a child is getting frustrated that they are not able to master a skill that they are trying. I found myself using the phases “That’s it” and “You can do it” over and over and over with Monkey and it was getting a little monotonous. So I decided to put together a list of sayings that work well to encourage children. That way I can add in a little variety to my vocabulary while supporting Monkey while he learns new skills. Here are a few that I came up with:
1. You are on the right track now
2. That’s much better
3. That’s the best you have ever done
4. Now you have it
5. Keep working – you are getting better
6. You are getting better every day
7. Keep it up
8. You’ve just about mastered that
9. Now you have the hang of it
10. You are really working hard today
11. That’s quite an improvement
12. You are doing that much better
13. You are learning fast
14. One more time and you’ll have it
15. I appreciate your hard work
16. You must have practicing
17. You did a lot of work today
18. You are learning a lot
19. You’re doing the best you can
20. Well, look at you go
I know I will be using these as we work with Monkey on his fine and gross motor skills. He is ready to take on the world, but at 1 1/2 years old he gets easily annoyed by the things he can’t do by himself. By encouraging him I hope that we are able to help him reach any goal no matter how large or small. How do you encourage your children?
Oh fantastic! These are going to be coming in so handy in the next little while. For C. especially.
Encouraging children is so important. You can really help boost their confidence just by telling them that they're doing a great job. I love encouraging my niece. I always tell that she's learning so fast and not to give up. Great post!
Positive encouragement is so important. I always let my kids know we learn by making mistakes and they are always getting better!
encouragement is to important for everyone. they need to know that they are valued 🙂
Love the list of encouraging words! I need to vary mine a little bit. 🙂
Wendy
Around My Family Table
I find that the older my kids get the more I find myself correcting inappropriate behaviour (especially in public). Because I refuse to be “one of those moms” who refuse to correct their child's inappropriate behaviour in public (and let them run wild), I have to be extra aware when they do something positive to make sure I praise them for it. I find that phrases like, “I love it when you use your manners,” or “you made me very proud today when you ________,” steer me away from those repetitive encouragements and allow them to know exactly what behaviour was positive.
While confidence and encouragement are important, so are good manners and thinking about the needs of the people around you.
This is so true and sweet! Always encourage your kids!