I’ve been trying to help my kids develop some good habits, like keeping their room tidy and doing homework without being nagged. I’ve heard that encouragement can be a good way to build their confidence and make these habits stick. Has anyone tried this approach? How well does it actually work in practice? I’m curious about other parents’ experiences or any tips on using encouragement effectively. Thanks!
I started using encouragement with my kids when they were younger, and I noticed it made a real difference. My daughter struggled with keeping her room tidy, so I’d point out specific things she did well, like ‘I love how you organized your books!’ It wasn’t an overnight fix, but she gradually took more pride in her space.
For my son, encouragement helped with homework. Instead of nagging, I’d say things like ‘You’re really focusing well tonight!’ when he was working hard. It boosted his confidence, and over time, he started tackling homework more independently.
But here’s the thing - encouragement alone wasn’t enough. We still needed clear expectations and consequences. And what worked for one kid didn’t always work for the other. Finding the right balance took some trial and error, but overall, positive reinforcement definitely helped build better habits in our house. 
In our house, we’ve had some success with encouragement for building habits. We started a ‘tidy time’ game where my kid gets to pick a fun song, and we race to clean up before it ends. For homework, we use a sticker chart where they earn fun activities for completing assignments without reminders.
It’s not always smooth sailing though. Some days the excitement fades and old habits creep back in. We keep tweaking our approach and celebrating small wins along the way. Patience is key - it takes time for new habits to really stick.
I’ve been using encouragement with my 5-year-old for a few months now. It’s definitely helped with some things, like putting toys away. I try to say stuff like ‘Wow, you put all your blocks in the box!’ when they do it well.
But I’m still figuring it out. Sometimes the encouragement works great, other times it seems to fall flat. I wonder if other parents have found certain types of encouragement more effective than others?
Also, I’m curious how long it took before you saw real changes in habits? Right now it feels a bit hit or miss. Did anyone else experience that at first?
Encouragement worked well with my kids for some things. Praising specific actions helped more than general compliments. They still need reminders, but positive feedback made a difference. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than constant nagging.
Using encouragement has been pretty helpful in our house. With our kids, we started small and focused on one habit at a time. For room tidying, we made it into a fun challenge. We’d set a timer and see how much they could put away before it went off. When they did well, we’d point out specific things like ‘You sorted all your Legos so quickly!’ It took a while, but they started taking more pride in keeping things neat. For homework, we break it into chunks and celebrate each part they finish. Sometimes we use a sticker chart or let them pick a small reward at the end of the week if they stick to their routine. It’s not perfect every day, but overall their confidence has grown. They seem more willing to tackle tasks on their own now. Just remember it takes time and patience!