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by TeachThought Staff<\/strong><\/p>\nThere are many ways to encourage a child, but for students of any age, honest, authentic, and persistent messages from adults that have credibility in their eyes are among the most powerful.<\/p>\n
The National Center on Quality Teaching and Learning\u00a0has put together a graphic below\u201350 Ways To Encourage A Child. <\/em>It was designed for younger students (head start\/kindergarten), so we thought we\u2019d create another list more diverse in the types<\/em> of praises and to students of different ages<\/em> and grade levels.<\/p>\nYou can find our list immediately below and their graphic after.<\/p>\nSee also\u00a0Need A Lift? Here Are 50 Books That Can Make You Happy<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n
Things You Can Say to Encourage a Child (By Grade Level + Sentence Stems)<\/title><br \/>\n <meta name=\"description\" content=\"Process-focused encouragement for students at Elementary, Middle, and High School levels. Flexible sentence stems for effort, process, character, curiosity, collaboration, and reflection.\"\/><br \/>\n <meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1\"\/><\/p>\n<p><main><\/p>\n<header>\n<p>Short, specific language you can adapt on the fly. Organized by school level and type of encouragement.<\/p>\n<\/header>\n<nav aria-label=\"On this page\">\n <a href=\"#elementary\">Elementary<\/a><br \/>\n <a href=\"#middle\">Middle School<\/a><br \/>\n <a href=\"#high\">High School<\/a><br \/>\n <\/nav>\n<section id=\"elementary\">\n<h2>Elementary<\/h2>\n<h3>Effort-Focused<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>I noticed that you kept going even when it got tough.<\/li>\n<li>Your practice shows\u2014look how much smoother that was today.<\/li>\n<li>You tried more than one time and it made a difference.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Process-Focused<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>You chose a new strategy; tell me what made you pick it.<\/li>\n<li>You checked your work carefully and fixed a slip\u2014where did you spot it?<\/li>\n<li>The way you explained your steps helped everyone follow along.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Character-Focused<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Thanks for waiting your turn\u2014that was patient and respectful.<\/li>\n<li>Helping a classmate like that was kind.<\/li>\n<li>You were honest about what felt hard; that\u2019s brave.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Curiosity-Focused<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Your question helped the class learn something new.<\/li>\n<li>That wonder you shared opened up a great idea\u2014what made you think of it?<\/li>\n<li>You looked closely and found details we missed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Collaboration-Focused<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>You listened first and then added your idea\u2014nice teamwork.<\/li>\n<li>Everyone got a turn because you made space for them.<\/li>\n<li>You solved it together; what did each person bring?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Self-Reflection Prompts<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>What part are you most proud of, and why?<\/li>\n<li>Where did you get stuck, and how did you get unstuck?<\/li>\n<li>What\u2019s one thing you\u2019ll try the same way next time?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"middle\">\n<h2>Middle School<\/h2>\n<h3>Effort-Focused<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>I noticed you stayed with the plan and finished strong.<\/li>\n<li>Your revisions clearly improved this\u2014what changed the most?<\/li>\n<li>You set a target and met it; walk me through how you managed that.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Process-Focused<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Comparing two approaches helped you choose the better fit.<\/li>\n<li>Your notes show how your thinking moved from idea to evidence.<\/li>\n<li>Feedback shaped this draft\u2014point to a place where it shows.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Character-Focused<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>You stayed respectful during a tough exchange.<\/li>\n<li>Owning the mistake and correcting it showed integrity.<\/li>\n<li>Calm troubleshooting when the tech glitched kept the work on track.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Curiosity-Focused<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Your \u201cwhat if\u2026?\u201d pushed the conversation forward.<\/li>\n<li>Looking for evidence before deciding strengthened your point.<\/li>\n<li>A follow-up question like that deepens the discussion\u2014ask another.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Collaboration-Focused<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Clarifying roles helped the group move faster.<\/li>\n<li>You brought quieter voices in; the work improved because of it.<\/li>\n<li>Summarizing the group\u2019s thinking kept everyone aligned.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Self-Reflection Prompts<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Which strategy helped most today, and why?<\/li>\n<li>If you had ten more minutes, what would you refine first?<\/li>\n<li>What did this teach you about how you learn best?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"high\">\n<h2>High School<\/h2>\n<h3>Effort-Focused<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>You stayed with the hard part instead of bailing\u2014that mattered.<\/li>\n<li>Consistency over several days produced this result.<\/li>\n<li>You balanced speed and accuracy; how did you plan that tradeoff?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Process-Focused<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>You set criteria before choosing a solution\u2014smart move.<\/li>\n<li>Testing an assumption and revising improved your outcome; talk me through the pivot.<\/li>\n<li>Your evidence chain is clear; which counter-example did you rule out?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Character-Focused<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Composure under pressure kept the work credible.<\/li>\n<li>Advocating for yourself respectfully got you what you needed without drama.<\/li>\n<li>Crediting sources and collaborators shows professionalism.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Curiosity-Focused<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Connecting the topic to real-world stakes made your point land.<\/li>\n<li>Challenging a common assumption is useful\u2014what data backs your angle?<\/li>\n<li>Exploring an alternative model clarified what the original missed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Collaboration-Focused<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Facilitating the discussion kept it on target without shutting people down.<\/li>\n<li>You negotiated roles and deadlines like a project manager.<\/li>\n<li>I noticed how you synthesized opposing views into a workable plan.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Self-Reflection Prompts<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>If you ran this project again, what would you keep, change, or cut\u2014and why?<\/li>\n<li>Where did feedback actually change your mind?<\/li>\n<li>Which skill from today transfers to work outside this class?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/main><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"812\" height=\"948\" alt=\"50 Things You Can Say To Encourage A Child\" class=\"wp-image-31384 perfmatters-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/50-wys-enc-chldc.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/50-wys-enc-chldc.png 812w, https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/50-wys-enc-chldc-257x300.png 257w, https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/50-wys-enc-chldc-768x897.png 768w, https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/50-wys-enc-chldc-370x432.png 370w, https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/50-wys-enc-chldc-770x899.png 770w, https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/50-wys-enc-chldc-486x567.png 486w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 812px) 100vw, 812px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"812\" height=\"948\" src=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/50-wys-enc-chldc.png\" alt=\"50 Things You Can Say To Encourage A Child\" class=\"wp-image-31384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/50-wys-enc-chldc.png 812w, https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/50-wys-enc-chldc-257x300.png 257w, https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/50-wys-enc-chldc-768x897.png 768w, https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/50-wys-enc-chldc-370x432.png 370w, https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/50-wys-enc-chldc-770x899.png 770w, https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/50-wys-enc-chldc-486x567.png 486w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 812px) 100vw, 812px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">See also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/Poster-Handout-Sentence-Stems-To-Replace-I-Dont-Know-or-I-Cant-3399191\">Sentence Stems To Replace \u2018I Don\u2019t Know\u2019 Or \u2018I Can\u2019t\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<p>You inspire me to be a better teacher by the way you\u2026<\/p>\n<p><em>70 Things You Can Say To Encourage A Child<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/pedagogy-posts\/encourage-a-child\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] by TeachThought Staff There are many ways to encourage a child, but for students of any age, honest, authentic, and persistent messages from adults<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":347862,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347861"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=347861"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347861\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/347862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=347861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=347861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=347861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Things](\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Things-to-say-to-encourage-a-child.png\"\/)
![\"Things](\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Things-to-say-to-encourage-a-child.png\")
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