The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness. -Dalai Lama

Appreciation gives a child a sense of right and wrong. The minute you praise your child for something he has done, he understands that you would like him to do it again. In addition, your child realizes that his actions are being observed. And as children crave for love and attention, they will strive to earn your praise again and again.   

The 60 ways/ideas to appreciate a child

1. That’s super
2. Spot on
3. I like it
4. Super stuff
5. Really great
6. What a good try
7. Brilliant
8. Clever (boy/girl)
9. I’m impressed
10. What a brainwave
11. You do work well
12. Very imaginative
13. Nice try
14. That’s good work
15. Superb
16. Well remembered
17. Good logic
18. Excellent work
19. Good thinking
20. You’re a star
21. You are doing well
22. Great try
23. Quick thinking
24. Well done
25. Well figured out
26.  I like that
27. Congratulations
28. You are doing great
29.  You’ve done really well
30. Keep on trying
31. You show real promise
32. You have great ideas
33.  You’ve mastered it
34. Well thought out
35. You’ve fitted a lot in
36. How imaginative you are
37. Good problem solving
38. What a perfect example
39. Well worked through
40.  I’m very proud of you
41. I’m proud of your work
42. You are really tuned into work today
43. It’s a pleasure to see you work like that
44.  One more attempt and you will be there
45. Your work is improving
46. You are a pleasure to teach
47. Beautiful job
48. That’s good thinking
49. A very good try
50. You learn quickly
51. You’ve got the hang of it
52.  You’ve done better than ever
53. That’s a fine attempt
54. You’re a problem solver
55. I couldn’t have done better myself
56. You soon mastered that
57. You really stuck with it
58. You don’t give up
59. You’ve that down to a fine art
60. Amazing work

Appreciation prevents your child from feeling neglected. We as parents should realize that children really want and require their parents’ attention. Appreciation is a way of giving your child that attention. If he doesn’t get it in this way, you can be sure that your child will feel neglected and will find other ways to get your attention – ways that you may definitely not approve of! So make sure you appreciate your child and be vocal about it.