The Importance of Positive Encouragement in Children’s Development
February 22nd, 2021 | 1 min. read
By Jen Azevedo
By Aliena Espana - Kids Club Associate
There are many responsibilities that come with being a parent.
When you welcome your first child into the world, it can be a scary experience. The new parents are adjusting to life with a youngster added to the family. As the child grows and develops, they encounter many obstacles as well as hit many amazing milestones. Whether the child takes their first steps or cleans up their mess, it is important that each child feels special and loved when they accomplish these milestones. It is important that parents approach this in a positive manner.
There are many ways that a parent or any influential adult figure can make a child feel special when they have achieved something. When a child hits a milestone, words of encouragement can make the child feel loved and appreciated. Statements like “Good job! I am so proud of you” or “You are doing such a great job! Keep it up” can have a positive effect on them. It will send the child a message that they are doing something great. This will encourage them to keep going because they know it is the right thing to do. Letting your children know that you love and appreciate them for everything that they are doing can also improve their overall mental health. Saying a simple “I love you” has such a strong impact on the developing child.
Giving your children rewards is another way for them to feel loved whenever they do something good. These rewards can be a form of positive reinforcement. When you present a child with a reward after a good behavior, that reward becomes a positive stimulus. That stimulus will reinforce the child’s behavior, making it more likely that they will do that same behavior again.
It is important that the child knows why they are getting that reward as it is a good teaching moment. Whether the child helps put dishes away or even behaves well at the dinner table, enforcing positive encouragement can be beneficial to them well into adulthood.
At the end of the day, parents have different ways of parenting, but it is important that they do so in a positive and healthy way.
Jen Azevedo is a tennis professional, pickleball professional, personal trainer, group exercise instructor, and the general manager of the Paseo Club. She loves the community at the Paseo Club and that it is also a safe and fun place for her daughter. Jen’s favorite activities are joining her tribe for trail races or her partners for tennis matches. Occasionally Jen slows down to relax with a book — she reads over 100 a year!
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