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Child Development & Early Education vocabulary · Behaviour and Guidance

Praise

Meaning in child development & early education, with examples

/preɪz/nounCore term

In child development & early education, praise means: Words or signs of approval given to a child for what they did or how hard they tried; early years practice often prefers specific praise to general comments like 'good girl'.

In Turkish: övgü, takdir, övmek

How it is used

Uncountable as a noun and also a verb: praise a child for sharing. Training often recommends descriptive or specific praise and praise for effort, an idea linked with Carol Dweck's research on mindset.

Example sentences

  1. Specific praise like 'You kept trying until it fitted!' tells children exactly what they did well.

  2. She praised him for waiting so patiently.

Common collocations

  • specific praise
  • descriptive praise
  • praise effort
  • praise a child for
  • positive reinforcementEncouraging a behaviour to happen again by following it with something pleasant, such as praise, a smile or a sticker.
  • self-esteemHow much a person values and likes themselves; in young children it grows from feeling loved, accepted and capable.
  • behaviourThe way a child acts and reacts, especially in everyday situations with other people; in childcare it is often discussed in terms of what the child is trying to communicate.
  • boundariesClear and consistent limits that adults set for children about what is and is not acceptable, so that children feel safe and know what to expect.

More terms: Behaviour and Guidance

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