We grow and mature, but not everything changes as we age. That sense of pride you feel when your boss acknowledges your hard work on a project or your significant other cleaning the house so you can rest after you ran that 5k is meaningful. Kids, with their ever-growing minds, are certainly no different. Celebrating their wins, no matter how big or small, as they grow up is everything. A kid remembers when they felt supported by their families, and there’s an argument to be made that seeing and loving your kid for who they truly are is the most important part of parenting (other than feeding, clothing, and housing them, of course).

But our lives as parents or guardians are busy. There’s always a soccer game to attend, a play to watch, or swim lessons after school. We don’t have time to take breaks for ourselves, let alone try and come up with some system of acknowledgement for our kids. Rewarding your kid, however, means you’re rewarding yourself in the long run and bettering your relationship with them while you’re at it, and what parents or guardians doesn’t want a better relationship with their kid?

Let’s talk progress, not perfection. Below are ideas on how to celebrate your kiddo’s small wins.

We all joke about getting pizza parties instead of promotions at work, but when it comes to your kids, who hopefully don’t work a 9-5, letting them pick a special weekend night dinner to celebrate a small win, whether it’s hitting a home run at the baseball game or getting an A on their math test, can be a fun way to get together at the end of the week and catch up. Ask them what their rose, bud, and thorn of the day was at the dinner table; it’ll help spark conversation and let them work through any problems they may be having in real time. And if you’re not familiar, your “rose” of the day is the best part of your day; the “thorn” is the part that maybe didn’t go so well or could use improvement; and the “bud” is your hope for the rest of the week/weekend/month, etc.

Journaling, reading, drawing, or meditating together is another nice way to decompress and spend time together, and you don’t even have to talk if you’re not the chatty kind of family! There’s nothing wrong with sitting in silence to recalibrate, especially when you get to do it with loved ones. Sometimes having a quiet moment away from the hecticness of life is exactly what a kid needs to feel celebrated and seen.

Is there a small gift they’ve been eyeing? Have they been dying to go see that new superhero movie? Are they building up a Pokemon card collection? Getting your kid an inexpensive present to show that you care, especially if it peaks their special interest, is a great way to acknowledge small feats. Of course, budgets should be taken into consideration, so if you can’t afford a little gift, make free plans with your kids instead. Have they been begging to have their bestie over for a sleepover? Let them! Do they want to go to that new park? Put on your tennis shoes, grab a snack and a water bottle, and head out. Quality time over presents (but a little treat isn’t going to hurt, either).

Celebrating your kid’s small wins boosts their motivation, helps them with goal-setting and prioritization, and can inspire others to do the same. All in all, it’s a great mental health boost, and helps encourage confidence in themselves and trust in you as their parent or guardian. Don’t forget to celebrate your own small wins, too.

Sources

Prepared Parents, Celebrate Small Wins to Motivate Kids. – ABA Star Therapy, Celebrating Progress, Not Perfection: Finding Joy in Small Wins. – Harvard Summer School, Why Celebrating Small Wins Matters. – Integrated Counseling and Wellness, Why You Should Celebrate Small Wins. – Feel Happy Counseling, The Importance of Small Wins: Celebrating Progress Over Perfection.