In our previous article, we mentioned that success doesn’t necessarily mean winning an award or being the first in school; it can be found in the little progress they have made. It is a consistent effort to acknowledge and appreciate their efforts, no matter how small.
At every age and different stages for their development, children face countless daily situations that can and do bring them a sense of accomplishment and pride. We can all remember the satisfaction we and our children felt as they faced and overcame developmental challenges. From their first steps to pulling themselves up and dashing across the room, what starts as instinct evolves into mastery and success through perseverance. Each new achievement reinforces self-esteem and paves the way for further success.
How do we help our child to experience success? Should we praise them for every action?
Here are 5 key points we can practise:
1. Be genuine and open to enjoy and celebrate your child’s accomplishments.
– Use encouraging words and gestures to convey our love to our children, helping them feel recognized and appreciated for their achievements and success.
2. Provide experiences and offer comments that convey to your child that they are active participants in their daily lives.
– Your child needs to be involved in their daily tasks, such as homework or packing their school bag. We must be careful not to “do” the activity for them. The final project needs to be more theirs to fel a sense of control and ownership in their success.
3. Identifying strengths and weaknesses
– While we acknowledge their achievements, we cannot ignore the failures. Failures are great learning experiences that we can use to improve ourselves. Highlight the attributes that our child did well, and discuss what was challenging and if there are other ways they could have done it differently.
4. Be patient
– Many children require time to develop and mature. We must, within reason, support and nurture the development of their skills.
5. Identify the unique strengths and successes of each child.
– Accepting our child for who they are and not what we wish them to be.
– Being able to identify and support our child in their own areas of interest and expertise help them to be more competent and successful.
The key is to be consistent and have achievable expectations for our child, helping them to gain confidence as they take ownership of their successes. This experience fosters self-esteem and a resilient mindset.
