Ep #76: Giving Effective Praise

Giving Effective Praise is one of the best things parents can do to improve behavior. What is Effective Praise? Effective Praise is specific (not general) praise that allows a child to know exactly what they did well and a reason why they should continue that specific behavior. An example of Effective Praise would be, “I am so proud of you for putting away your backpack. When you put away your backpack, I don’t have to interrupt your playtime to have you put it away.” General praise, on the other hand, doesn’t help a child understand what they did well and why they should continue doing it. General praise sounds like “Good job.” “I’m proud of you!” “You did awesome.”  It can be challenging to switch from general praise to Effective Praise, but doing so will pay big dividends. When you use Effective Praise, you are building self-esteem in kids as it gives them the confidence to continue to grow and learn. Effective Praise can be used for any positive behavior. Effective Praise can be especially helpful during a tantrum as it allows parents to focus on the positive and deescalate the situation. Giving Effective Praise takes work to become natural. When it does, you will find yourself creating a stronger bond with your children.  Visit SmarterParenting.com for the Effective Praise lesson video: https://www.smarterparenting.com/skills/effective-praise/ For full show notes and transcript visit: https://www.smarterparenting.com/adhd-parenting-podcast/