Ep #162: Using Effective Praise to instill gratitude in our kids

Effective Praise is powerful in teaching our kids gratitude. Effective Praise teaches us to recognize effort and change and then express why that effort means something to us. Effective Praise is more than just telling someone, "Good job."  Rather it's telling them exactly what they did well--no matter how little that progress may be.  For example, your child may struggle cleaning their room. Instead of focusing on what they haven't done or didn't do well, Effective Praise allows us to focus on what they did well, such as, "I can see you took a lot of time to organize your books, and that shows me that those things matter to you and that you want to take care of them." By acknowledging what they have done, we motivate our children to continue to make progress while reducing the amount of time spent nagging them to do something. As we show our children that we appreciate what they do well, they will be more likely to apply that same mind frame to friends, teachers, coworkers, and even family members. You can find the skill of Effective Praise at SmarterParenting.com. We invite you to learn it and start using it in your family, and you will be amazed at how it transforms your outlook and relationships.