4 Ways to Encourage Your Child

No matter what age your child is, he will always need encouragement from you, his parent. Did you know that? Your child depends on you to provide them with this form of nurturing throughout their childhood.

For some parents, giving a child encouragement may not come easy for several reasons. Maybe they did not receive encouragement as a child, so it feels foreign to them. Or perhaps they think too much encouragement will make their child become a snobby child.

This kind of thinking has to be overcome because every child needs to be given encouragement often. Encouraging words can help promote positive self-esteem in children, as well as help them become more positive and encouraging to others around them as well.

Maybe you do the best you can as a parent, but you still find yourself short on words of encouragement. If this is so, the four tips below will show you some very easy and simple ways to encourage your child, starting today.

Say "I love you."

How often do you tell your child you love them? Do you get so wrapped up in the day's events that you let an entire day go by without expressing your love to your child? If you aren't careful this can happen for so long, until you can't remember when the last time was that you told your child you love them. These three simple words mean a lot to children. They need to hear them, so speak them often.

Give your child a hug.

Physical contact is known to be an intricate part of a child's healthy self-esteem. Children love hugs and need them, too. Make a daily habit of doling out hugs. Some parents like to start the day by giving their child a hug and a kiss as soon as they wake up. Likewise, many parents like to end the day much the same, giving their child a hug and kiss at bedtime. No matter how old your child is, give them a big hug today.

Offer them frequent praise.

This is a big issue lots of parents struggle with. Adults who especially find it difficult to express their feelings generally have trouble offering praise to their children. While it might seem hard at first and you might not find it very easy to say the right words, just know that offering a word of praise to your child will go a long way towards encouraging them.

An important point to remember is to offer praise when your child does something nice. Far too often, parents scold their child when they display an uncomely behavior, but they neglect to praise their child for a good behavior. Practice saying something nice to your child about their actions and you will start to notice them trying harder to do nice things to earn more of your praise.

Surprise them with a special "just because" gift.

When your child is having a rough day, or terrible week at school, sometimes they need a special gift, just to know you care. This does not mean you are trying to buy their love. Instead, it's a little pick-me-up to encourage them to keep trying, or keep smiling. Sometimes something as simple as a nice card with a handwritten message inside is exactly what your child needs to feel better. Don't just go blow a lot of money on an expensive item to try to perk their mood up. Think about what you could do for them that would be special.

Keep the lines of communication open at all times.

The most important thing you can do for your child is to always be available to them. Sometimes the best way to encourage your child is to just be there for them when they need you. There will be times when your child will need a pep talk. Then there will be times when they will just need you to be there to snuggle with in bed and watch a movie together. If you always make yourself available and keep the lines of communication open with your child, they will feel safe in going to you when they need help. While you might not consider this encouragement, it is, because your child will know that you will always be there for them, no matter what. How much more encouraging can you be than that!