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<\/div>\n<\/p>\n One night while my four kids were in various stages of bathing, showering, or getting ready for bed, I took a sweep through the house to corral the never-ending stream of clutter. As I bent down next to the couch to scoop up a pile of LEGOs, something on the couch caught my eye.<\/p>\n A streak of vivid purple.<\/p>\n As I slowly stood up, my eyes followed the trail of purple to where one of our cats was lying on the back of the couch. Her entire left side was covered<\/strong> in purple paint.<\/p>\n That\u2019s when I connected the dots. Earlier that day, my 10-year-old budding artist had asked if she could paint a canvas\u2014one of her absolute favorite things to do. \u201cYep,\u201d I\u2019d said. \u201cAs long as you clean it up after.\u201d<\/p>\n Spoiler alert: She didn\u2019t clean it up after. And now our leather couch was sporting purple stripes, plus our cat had apparently entered her punk phase?<\/p>\n Bonus:<\/strong> As a bonus for joining my weekly newsletter, get a free cheat sheet<\/a> of the 110 most powerful compliments for kids to boost their self-worth.<\/p>\n\n Thanks to a miraculous infusion of patience I didn\u2019t know I had, I managed not<\/em> to lose my temper or even raise my voice, and personally, I consider that a parenting win.<\/p>\n In a calm tone, I made my points. \u201cIf you want to be able to paint, you need to take responsibility for cleaning it up after.\u201d<\/p>\n She hung her head and in a small<\/strong> voice said, \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you finish an activity, you can\u2019t just wander off to start something new. You need to put things away first. This isn\u2019t the first time something like this has happened.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know,\u201d she repeated. Then in an even smaller voice: \u201cI\u2019m just bad at remembering stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n My heart squeezed. \u201cHey.\u201d<\/p>\n She looked up, and I pulled her in for a hug. \u201cYou\u2019re not bad at remembering. It\u2019s normal for kids to forget stuff like that. It\u2019ll get easier.\u201d<\/p>\n But later, her words kept coming back to me. I wondered: Are my nagging reminders making my child think less of herself? Should I be complimenting her more often? Am I adding fuel to the fire of her inner critic?<\/em><\/p>\n Related: 101 Heartfelt and Simple Ways to Love Your Child Every Day<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n As parents, we want our children to grow up to be healthy, happy, and confident, and an essential component of a child\u2019s mental health is their self-worth.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Here\u2019s why:<\/strong> When a person possesses self-worth, that means they evaluate themselves as an inherently valuable, capable human being who\u2019s worthy of respect, compassion, and love. Self-esteem also feeds into self-worth because high self-esteem means feeling confident in your own abilities and strengths.<\/p>\n As you might imagine, research shows that children with high self-worth and high self-esteem are more likely to be happy and confident. In fact, low self-worth or self-esteem can lead to depression in kids. But high self-worth and self-esteem are so powerful they can even increase a child\u2019s relationship and job satisfaction later in life.<\/p>\n With self-worth being so important to your child\u2019s mental health, happiness, and confidence, you might be wondering what you can do to nurture it.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the good news<\/strong>: Parental warmth boosts your child\u2019s self-worth. That includes displaying affection, being responsive to your child\u2019s needs, and encouraging them with the most effective kind of praise.<\/p>\n But as it turns out, some types of praise can actually hurt<\/em> your child\u2019s self-worth and self-esteem.<\/p>\n Below, I\u2019ll share a handy list of the best compliments for kids that work to boost their self-worth, but first, here are a few guidelines to help you come up the best compliments for your child:<\/p>\n Pro tip:<\/strong> A handy trick for making sure you stick to specifics and compliment your child\u2019s actions is to start off with \u201cYou\u2026\u201d then complete the sentence by describing what your child did.<\/p>\n Related: How to Make Your Child Feel Absolutely Loved: 75 Positive Words for Kids<\/a> {Printable}<\/strong><\/p>\n After the Purple Paint Incident, I circled back to my daughter for a follow-up conversation about what her inner critic had been telling her.<\/p>\n And it broke my heart to hear the phrases she\u2019d been repeating to herself.<\/p>\n Can you seriously not remember that?<\/em><\/p>\n You\u2019re so clumsy.<\/em><\/p>\n What\u2019s wrong with you?<\/em><\/p>\n From then on, I made a conscious effort to compliment her every day\u2014not on how she looks or something out of her control\u2014but on something she<\/em> made happen. If I was tucking her in at bedtime and couldn\u2019t remember complimenting her that day, I made a rule for myself to think of one specific, heartfelt<\/strong> compliment and share it with her then.<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t know if that was enough to drown out her inner critic\u2019s voice, but I kept at it. Then one night at bedtime, I thought back through our day together and said, \u201cYou had the magic touch with keeping your little brother entertained today. I\u2019m impressed.\u201d<\/p>\n She smiled and said, \u201cYou always give me compliments, Mommy.\u201d<\/p>\n I laughed. \u201cIs that\u2026okay?\u201d<\/p>\n She beamed. \u201cI love it.\u201d<\/p>\n Related: 50 Cute Ways to Say \u201cI Love You\u201d to Your Child<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n After that experience with my daughter, I set out to put together a list of the best 100 ways to compliment a child so that I could share it with the parents in this community. But I uncovered so many fun options that I kept the list going to 110.<\/p>\n These phrases work for a wide range of ages from young children to teenagers, but you know your child best<\/strong>, so choose the phrases you think will best lift up your child.<\/p>\n You can also get a free printable list of the best compliments for kids here<\/a>. You can keep this list on your nightstand, tuck it in your purse or wallet, or leave it on the driver\u2019s seat of your car as a handy reminder for the moments when your child could use a pick-me-up. <\/p>\n Pro tip:<\/strong> If your child is feeling frustrated or discouraged, compliments typically won\u2019t help. In those situations, you need to first validate their struggle. Check out The Most Encouraging Words for Kids: 125 Phrases That Actually Work<\/a> for the best phrases to use during or after their struggle.<\/p>\n \u2020<\/sup> This site is reader-supported. When you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.<\/p>\n These phrases can nurture your child to see themselves as the type of person who helps and encourage them to make helpful choices in the future.<\/p>\n Quick tip: <\/strong>When you\u2019re trying to encourage helpful behavior, you\u2019ll make the most impact when you draw the connection to who your child is, like being a helper or being a kind person. Research shows that when you praise kids for being<\/em> a helpful person rather than praising them just for helping, kids are much more likely to act generously in the future. Here\u2019s why: Your words shape your child\u2019s self-image, and by seeing themselves as \u201chelpers\u201d for example, they\u2019ll be more likely to behave in a way that lives up to that self-image.<\/p>\n When your child could use a pick-me-up, use this cheat sheet of the most powerful compliments for kids to help boost their self-worth.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a sneak peek of your printable cheat sheet:<\/p>\nHere\u2019s the Good News (And the Bad)<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>What You Need to Know About Your Child\u2019s Self-Worth<\/h2>\n
How Do You Boost Your Child\u2019s Self-Worth?<\/h2>\n
Which Compliments for Kids Will Nurture Self-Worth?<\/h2>\n
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How Well Do Compliments Actually Work?<\/h2>\n
110 Compliments for Kids to Boost Their Self-Worth<\/h2>\n
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Compliments for Kids to Recognize Helpful Behavior<\/h3>\n
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Get Your Free Cheat Sheet: 110 Compliments for Kids<\/h2>\n
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