21 Ways To Praise A Child To Nurture Confidence And Kindness

Praising children tends to be a hot topic because with the change of times our understanding of it as a society has changed. Although I’m no expert in behavioral science, as a mom I side with those who believe that the type and amount of praise we give our children does have an impact. If you think of praise as a way of affirming desirable actions in your children, praising them to nurture confidence and kindness makes total sense.
With that in mind and after reading many different ways to praise a child, I started thinking about what are the kind of things I say to my children to nurture confidence and kindness in them. One of the ways to teach kids to have empathy is by experiencing and seeing me do things, but also the words I tell them about who they are and how good it is when they are kind to others have an important role in their upbringing.

I’m a believer that praising the effort our children make to achieve certain goals is crucial for them to develop confidence, but also, highlighting how they touch others with their words and actions serve as cues that they are doing the right thing in their relationships with peers, younger children, and adults alike. Like Dr. Maya Angelou said, “At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.”

Dr. Angelou’s quote is a great lesson, one I teach my children often, at times due to something they have experienced, or just in conversation I illustrate how important it is to be gentle and kind with people because that’s the way we want to be treated. Praise is known for encouraging good behavior, increasing self-esteem and confidence, and it can be a great tool to nurture confidence and kindness in our children.

As our children’s guides, understanding how important it is to praise them in an honest way is key to our success as moms raising multicultural children. The words we say to our kids are very powerful and being consistent and genuine is key for those words to flourish in them.

21 Ways To Praise A Child
To Nurture Confidence And Kindness

1. It was so nice of you to help your brother with homework
2. What a great idea to include your younger sister in the game!
3. You made my day with your kindness, thank you!
4. You are just delightful!
5. Thank you for being honest.
6. It was brave to stand up for your friend, I’m proud.
7. You are a great team player!
8. You are such a good listener!
9. I like what you said to him, well done!
10. You made a remarkable effort.
11. I know you tried hard, thank you!
12. You’re always willing to help, thanks!
13. It’s nice to see you helping others.
14. You are so kind, I love it!
15. Thanks for all your hard work.
16. Hooray for teamwork!
17. You’re a problem solver, well done!
18. You are so respectful, I appreciate it!
19. You’re such a good friend!
20. You deserve a big hug!
21. You did your best, I’m proud!

[dania]