The Power of Praise
One of the simplest, yet most powerful tools a parent can use to influence their child’s behavior is praise. Praising your child is one of the many valuable skills that are taught, reinforced, and coached during Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT).
Praising or complimenting your child’s behavior has many benefits for both the parent and the child. Benefits include:
Increases the behavior that is praised
Helps you as the parent notice positive behavior
Shows your approval of the behavior
Improves the child’s self esteem
Makes you and your child feel good – a win win!
So how do I positively affect my child’s behavior using praise? Praises can be labeled or unlabeled. Labeled praises are specific. Unlabeled praises are not specific. “Good job!”, “That’s great!”, “Awesome!”, and “Nice work.”, are examples of unlabeled praises. Labeled or specific praises are more effective because it lets the child know exactly what you like. Examples of labeled praises include:
“Thank you so much for picking up your toys.”
“You did a great job sharing that toy with your sister.”
“I love how nicely you colored your picture.”
“I like how gentle you are being with the toys.”
“Good job building that tall tower.”
“Thank you for listening the first time.”
“Nice job sitting at the table with me.”
“What a wonderful idea to draw a picture for your teacher.”
“I love how creative you are being with your Legos.”
“I am so proud of you for using your manners.”
As a parent it is important to praise your child’s efforts and not just the outcome. Recognize when they are trying hard to solve a problem or trying to accomplish a task. Praises should also be sincere and genuine, so our children believe them. The next time you are trying to find a way to manage your child’s behavior, try praising them…a little bit of praise can go a long way to positively influencing your child’s behavior!