It can be easy for children to become disheartened when things aren’t going to plan. This could be from thinking a picture they have drawn is not good enough, to having an argument with a friend. By offering words of encouragement, you can help build your child’s confidence and resilience, which will lay the foundations for handling issues in a positive way in the future. For example, if you need to encourage them for a task they have completed, it’s a good idea to focus on the effort rather than the result.
Try not to be too generic in your encouragement; by including something specific to the issue they are facing, this will show you are actively listening to your child’s concerns.
Ten encouraging phrases you could use and personalise to your child’s particular situation are:
- I like the way you handled that
- I am so impressed with how hard you tried
- Your ideas are really interesting
- Thank you for talking to me about this
- I love spending time with you
- You are such a good friend
- Wow, that seems difficult – well done
- I am so proud of you
- Thank you, I really appreciate your help
- You should feel very proud of yourself
For example:
“I like the way you handled that, especially when you said…”
“Your ideas are really interesting; I’d love to hear more about…”
“I am so impressed with how hard you tried with your homework today, I could see you really concentrating!”
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