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What is Specific Praise?
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Praise that tells the child exactly what is great about their behaviour.
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Praise that tells the child exactly how to succeed in their home environment.
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Praise that recognises those brillioant moments (moments of brilliance) instead of focusing on those less brilliant moments.
Why specific is best!
If we are not specific and often say "Great job!", we increase the chances of a child saying: No, I am not, I am not good enough" or similar.
The more specific, the more genuine the praise sounds.
For example:
Thank you for remembering to bring in your bike at night and place it in its space in the garage.
Nice job putting your shoes in the closet and not lying around the entry. Good thinking.
Very good job in putting the dishes in the sink and letting me know that they are there.
You did a great job walking in the hallway today and helping your sister with her school bag. I really appreciate it.
When your child finds it difficult to accept praises:
Then, use these statements:
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You are worth noticing.
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You are worth my attention.
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You are worth my praise.
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You light up my world (as you can see from my face ☺).
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You are a cool child (as you can hear in my voice).