As parents, we begin encouraging our children from the moment they enter into this world. We encourage them to smile by making funny or happy faces, to speak by sounding out words, and to walk by saying “come here, baby!” while motioning with our hands. As they grow older, we encourage them to do well in school, go to college, and ultimately to be the very best versions of themselves. We understand how important it is to speak kind, encouraging words to our children in hopes those words will help them get through periods of self-doubt. Encouragement from parents to children doesn’t ever really stop, but how do we teach our children to encourage others? Here are some parenting tips. 

Teach your child the art of encouragement.

It may sound like a tough chore to tackle, but it's not as difficult as it seems. To help you out, we’ve listed a couple of parenting tips for teaching your child to make encouragement a part of their lives. 

Lead by example.

As the old saying goes, "lead by example". Without saying a word, you can show your child how to encourage others. One great way to do this is let your child see you encourage someone other than themselves. It can be another toddler, a “big kid”, or an adult — whoever it is, allow your child to see you build someone else up. By making the personal choice to be more encouraging, you’re already one step ahead in teaching your child to do the same. 

Who do they believe in?

Explain what it means to believe in someone. Let them know that if they believe in a person, it's a great idea to let them know that. Maybe they have a friend that wants to try out for cheerleading or football, but is afraid they won't make it. Does your child believe they can do it? Encourage them to encourage their friend to go for it! See how that goes? By encouraging your child to do it, you’re giving them the confidence they may need to turn around and give someone else that same confidence! 

Children are like sponges, absorbing all they see and hear. By teaching them to be kind and encourage those around them, you’re setting them up to be remarkable human beings that will be positive lights in our world. Often, however, kids can be short-sighted. They haven’t yet gained the experience to see long-term consequences. So one way to guide them immediately is to provide rewards from a universal wishlist as the display acts of compassion. By encouraging them with a reward for the near-term, they’ll begin to encourage others for the long-term.