The Power of Encouragement*

Dear Genius Tots Preschool Community,

As educators and caregivers, we often contemplate the role of praise in shaping a child's behavior and self-perception. At Genius Tots, we embrace a holistic approach to education, focusing on fostering independence and self-assessment. In line with this philosophy, we place emphasis on the power of encouragement over excessive praise.

As educators, we all want our children to feel valued and appreciated. Praise is a powerful tool that can motivate children to do their best, but it can also have some unintended consequences. We want to take a moment to discuss the difference between praise and encouragement and why we choose to emphasize encouragement in our classrooms.

Praise is often focused on the outcome of a child's behavior or work. For example, "You're such a good girl, " or "You did it just like I told you to." While praise can make a child feel good in the moment, it can also create pressure to live up to someone else's expectations. Children may become reliant on praise to feel good about themselves, and it may inhibit their ability to develop independence.

In contrast, encouragement is focused on the process of a child's behavior or work. Encouragement empowers children to make their own judgments and decisions about their work and worth. For example, "How do you think you did?" or "What would you do differently if you had a chance to do the work again?"