Behavior Specific Praise

Behavior specific praise is an important aspect of positive reinforcement.

Children are constantly looking for attention from the adults in their life. Yet, that attention is often delivered following a negative behavior.

For example: A child who follows their bedtime routine on the first request will often get less attention than the child running around refusing to go to bed.

Therefore, it is incredibly important to “catch your child being good” (when they are engaging in the desired behavior.) Then, provide behavior specific praise (BSP) in that moment.

What does BSP look like: Instead, of just saying “good job” say, “I like the way you listened the first time.”

Behavior specific praise identifies behaviors that you would like to see happen more frequently.  Additionally it is most effective when it is given four times more often than a corrective statement.

For young children or children who don’t find praise reinforcing, you can pair the praise with a tangible item like a sticker chart or reward tag. That way, the child understands why they are receiving the sticker or tag

Try my new Puff-Up Reward Tag System. Puff-Ups allow you to pair behavior specific praise with a fun little collectable tag.