Children love it when they're treated with kindness and endearment. Little tokens of affection such as candies, colorful pencils, compliments, or even the customary pats on the back not only make our children feel loved but also enable them to connect with us better. These acts are commonly used to reinforce and appreciate desirable behaviors. Encouraging certain traits by rewarding kids whenever they perform the desired action is called positive reinforcement.
This technique is a form of discipline that encourages behaviors that have been socially mandated as 'good' in children by responding positively every time the behavior is observed. This can be achieved through verbally appreciating the child's good behavior in front of them and others, highlighting the positive traits they display while exhibiting the desirable behavior, and rewarding them with their favorite things. Positive reinforcement helps to make our children feel seen and their efforts acknowledged. Positive remarks such as "good", "great", "wonderful" etc do make the child feel nice but when you clearly express what you liked the most about their behavior, be it their courage, honesty, or refusal to give up, children feel even more motivated and noticed. In addition to that, they remember the aspect of the desirable behavior that was appreciated and try to employ that in the everyday things to do.
Through positive reinforcement, we can help our children to learn desirable behaviors and boost their self-confidence. At a young age, compliments and positive remarks left by adults leave a lasting impact on the child's consciousness and contribute to their perception of self. Don't we all remember the time a teacher admired our work in front of the whole class or when we got colorful stickers on our homework when we did it nicely? These little compliments that might seem insignificant and vain to adults carry a lot of value for our children. It is through these trifle reinforcements that our kids derive knowledge of their innate worth and potential. Our words of encouragement go a long way in establishing the faith our children have in their abilities and inspiring them to do better.
Positive reinforcement advocates highlighting what the child does well instead of what they do not. In this way, we take away the focus from the negative behavior and emphasize what the child can do well, motivating them to continue doing the rewarded behaviors. When we bring up our children in an environment that awards their efforts in doing what is good, we inspire them to do that no matter how difficult it might seem. Further, it makes our children realize that their efforts are not going unnoticed or undervalued. By acknowledging their good behaviors, we make our kids feel cared for and worthy of attention. In this way, positive reinforcement creates a channel for our children to develop a good rapport with us and see us as approachable and friendly.
Like all of us, our children also desire to be rewarded and validated. By positively reinforcing their good behaviors, we can not only strengthen our connection with them but also encourage them to pursue good and healthy habits. Through positive reinforcement, we can pave way for our children to walk on the right path and learn life skills that will benefit them in all stages of their life.
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