Whether it’s an impromptu dance party or a few uplifting words of encouragement, celebrating your child’s learning victories is one of the most effective and fun ways to boost their confidence.
The next time your child has a learning breakthrough, try these teacher-recommended celebrations to keep their learning momentum rolling!
1. Get Dancing
For Avery Lieske, a third-grade teacher in Alabama, there’s no better way to make a kid feel special than by playing their favorite song. Lieske has made a playlist featuring her students’ favorite tracks.
“The playlist is called ‘Lieske Class Walkout Songs,’” she says. “When the students enter the room or do something amazing, I will play their song.”
Lieske suggests you make your own playlist of songs your child loves. When they reach a significant learning goal, turn up the volume and have a mini dance party! Afterward, you can ease them back into learning by reading kid-favorite rhyming books like Giraffes Can’t Dance.
2. Shout It Out!
If one of her students does something great during class, Lieske likes to call out the child’s name and shout “Woot! Woot!” while the rest of the class responds with, “You’re on fire!”
“My students will give ‘shout-outs’ to each other when they see their friends working hard, meeting a goal, or making good choices,” says Lieske.
Lieske notes that celebrating small victories ensures your child feels seen and will inspire them to keep learning. At home during dinner, “shout out” your child’s achievements and accomplishments so you can celebrate them together as a family.
3. Lift Them Up
If you notice your child is struggling with reading or another subject, boosting their confidence by celebrating their little victories can help build momentum to tackle larger challenges. Lieske likes to remind her students that if they’re struggling, it just means that their brains are working.
To build your child’s confidence at home, she suggests allowing your child to feel and work through their emotions, put a reasonable time limit on their work so they don’t feel overwhelmed, and let your child’s teacher know about their learning challenges. But most importantly, Lieske suggests pointing out your child’s strengths while speaking specific, uplifting words of encouragement.
Inspiring picture books are great resources for boosting your child’s confidence when they feel challenged. For example, The Three Billy Goats Gruff is a great picture book to read and discuss together. Reading together will help your child feel confident to read independently.
Encourage a love of reading with help from our guide, which includes book recommendations by interest, tips for getting your child to read for fun, and much more.
Shop more books to build confidence below! You can find all books and activities at The Scholastic Store.
