The Best Way To Praise Children Fairly

It can be tricky to praise children fairly. Although not very difficult, it requires sensitivity, pace and wisdom.

Compliments have an ability to build a child’s self-esteem. Praise, however, should not be given without merit.

Too many compliments can be bad for a child’s ego. It can create superiority complexes, promote jealousy and other harmful attitudes.

Find effective ways to praise your children to help them develop their self-esteem. If done correctly, it will not lead to discord among siblings.

All children are different. Parents who have more than one child know this to be true. Even though they have been brought up with the same values, all children still develop different skills and personalities.

It is important to be balanced when praising one or the other. No healthy parents intentionally try to give compliments to a child for hurting the other siblings.

But sometimes it happens unintentionally. Sometimes parents can hurt a child’s feelings by praising one of the siblings in front of him or her.

According to Mark Griffin, founder and former principal of Eagle Hill School in the United States, children do not count on how much praise their siblings receive every day or every week. Without what they notice is the sincerity of the praise they themselves receive from others.

How do you praise your children?

Praise their efforts

The best way to praise one of your children without making others feel bad is to praise them all for their efforts rather than for achievements.

It has been proven that children who are praised for their efforts learn to see success as a result of their hard work.

If you praise the effort your child puts into a task rather than the results, that child will learn about the value of perseverance. It also teaches your child about self-discipline and organization.

Praise in moderation

If you want to praise one of your children in particular, you can take the child aside for a few minutes to do so. That way you avoid rivalry and jealousy.

However, if you notice that the child you are praising has a tendency to brag to his siblings in order to arouse their jealousy, this attitude should be corrected immediately. This type of behavior is not good.

Be sincere and tactful

Avoid exaggerating your tone or degree of enthusiasm when praising one of your children. Try to stay calm and have a relaxed attitude.

Children notice when you exaggerate or if you praise them for something that is not particularly impressive.

Excessive praise to a certain child can also make others who have difficulty completing the specific task feel bad.

Focus on praising the efforts, the perseverance and the determination they show as they progress in a task, even when they are having difficulty.

Let them understand that progress towards their goal is as important as achieving the goal yourself.

Encourage teamwork and collaboration

Another way to praise all your children fairly is to motivate them all to work as a team. Each of them should use their specific skills for the benefit of the group.

When they finish their tasks, you can give them as many compliments as you want. Praise them when you see that they have fun doing what they do while working as a team.

Try to praise how they treat each other and behave.

They have all the skills

Focusing on all your children’s skills and abilities is a great way to create a positive environment. It makes them feel good, and then you can praise a child without making the others feel bad.

Praising a child properly is an art that parents need to learn to master. This is even more important when you have more than one child.

It is best to praise them sincerely for their efforts. Never compare them with each other.