Catch Your Bee Doing Things Right!

At Tumble Bees and across departments at Kids First, we follow the same teaching principles when working with your children. Number four (on our list of 11) is "Catch Kids Doing Things Right." We believe that what gets praised gets repeated. A teacher/coach's attention is a form of reward to a child who is seeking attention; positive attention is a strong incentive to repeat praised behavior. Praising the process or positive behavior can be as valuable as praising the result. Here are 5 compliments you might hear us give during a Tumble Bees class! These are also phrases you can adapt to using at home to help encourage your child. "You worked really hard on that!"

Praise the effort! Focusing on a child's effort recognizes what they put into it instead of what others decide is noteworthy. It helps children to stay focused on the process, and not the end result, which isn't always what they want it to be. "I appreciate how patiently you waited for your turn!"

Patience is HARD for a Preschooler (and big kids and adults too!) We find focusing on your child's character traits is much better than outward appearances — and it can encourage a child to cultivate those positive characteristics. Complients like these put the emphasis on things that a child has some control over rather than things he or she doesn't. "You were being a caring friend when she was crying and you gave her a hug."

Be very specific when praising your Bee so they understand which thoughts, qualities, or actions are connected to your praise. For example, telling your child exactly which action of theirs was caring is more effective than saying "You're a good friend," even if the intent is the same with both statements.

Specific compliments like these help your child to feel empowered that they have positive qualities that others notice and admire. It's a simple but powerful way to help them feel more self-assured and resilient. "I believe in you."

It can be hard to be a kid. Your goals and ambitions don't always match up to your abilities, and there are a lot of new things you have to learn. Often our Bees get frustrated during class! By reminding them that we are confident in their capabilities, it helps them to feel loved, supported and encouraged to do their best! "I can see you've been practicing your cartwheel!"

Whether or not your child possesses innate ability in tumbling, we can praise the effort they put into it! Anytime we see your child make progress, try something new, try something they gind challenging, we let them know we see it! We think it is so important to remind our Bees that we recognize any extra effort to work towards a goal no matter how big or small. We want them to know that often the best way to learn is through the work it took to get there!