Don’t Be Afraid to Praise Your Preschooler

Praise is a powerful tool that can help guide preschoolers through taking the small steps necessary to master new skills or motivate them to try new tasks. Praise will also encourage children to build self-confidence by taking risks and growing into creative & self-reliant people. Some parents may think that praising children will make them overly dependent upon approval, but we are here to reassure you this is not the case! Plenty of research has been done and has repeatedly shown that not praising children or paying attention to good behavior can lead to misbehavior and poor self-esteem.

During the preschool years and early development of your young children, praise can help shape behaviors and activities that will benefit them both at home and during school. Sharing, listening, following directions, and cooperation are all important skills necessary in school setting. By praising your preschooler effectively when you witness these behaviors being displayed, you are increasing the chance that your child will repeat these good habits.

How to Praise Your Preschooler Effectively

1. Be Specific – When you witness your child displaying good behavior, use a specific or “labeled” praise. Instead of saying “good job” say “I’m so happy that you are cleaning up your toys without me needing to tell you!” Describe exactly the behavior you like so your child knows what behaviors you like.
2. Praise Immediately – Research has shown that the most effective praise is given within 5 seconds of a positive behavior, so when you are trying to encourage a new behavior or create a good habit, praising immediately is important.
3. Don’t Combine Praise with Commands / Criticism – Be careful not to undermine your praise by combining it with a command, or even worse, a criticism. When you say something like “It’s great that you cleaned up all of your toys, but next time you need to put your stuffed animals on the bed and your blocks in the bucket.” Praise should be clear & unequivocal. Don’t remind them about past failures or request a certain type of future performance at the same time you offer praise for a good behavior.
4. Show Enthusiasm – The more positive & excited you sound when you praise a child, the more effective the praise becomes. Words that are given carelessly or without effort often get lost on a child. Sincerity and enthusiasm is important.

You may be thinking that your preschooler should already know how to behave without needing to praise everyday things like chores and sharing toys, etc. However, the only way a child learns to repeat a particular behavior is if it is positively reinforced. Whether you use hugs, a form of attention, or verbal cues, your preschooler is more likely to repeat good behavior again and again.

Here at Kids ‘R’ Kids Avalon Park, we value praise and use it daily to encourage our preschoolers to work together cooperatively so that all of our students can enjoy themselves while in school. Contact our staff today to find out more about our exciting preschool program in Avalon Park Orlando.