Benefits of Positive Praise
· It increases children’s self esteem.
· It increases children’s confidence.
· It helps parents/caregivers view their children positively.
· It gets parents/caregivers into the habit of praising their children from an early age.
· It makes everyone happy.
How to give Positive Praise
Positive praise can mean anything from saying “well done”, to a nod of the head and a smile.
However with children aged 0-2 years, positive praise can best be given in the following ways:-
· Tender and loving physical touch – stroking, cuddling, tickling, lifting up and holding.
· Making eye contact or having lots of face to face contact.
· Using parentese (or the CBeebies voice/making your voice fun).
· Smiling.
· Commenting positively and engaging in dialogue ie “Wow, can you see the rabbit? Can you? I can see the rabbit too!”
· Clapping.
· Shouting “hooray!”, at different volumes depending on the age of child.
When to give Positive Praise
Anytime, all the time, whenever!
Positive praise should be used all the time, for anything you wish children to repeat. Whether it be something small like making eye contact, to a large achievement such as standing.
Praise should be given as soon as the behaviour you want is occurring. It should be sincere and heartfelt and always given with a smile.
Hullabaloo Kids promotes using positive praise during class as we believe it will help parents create a loving and caring bond with their child, and will promote a healthy, positive relationship for the future.
