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Helping Busy Parents Intentionally Raise Kind Kids//Bully-Proof Your Kids//Bullying Prevention

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How to Teach Kids to Give Compliments

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Inside: Help kids speak with kindness and give compliments with these compliment cards printable cards.


My youngest is amazing at noticing amazing things about other people.

She notices new haircuts, new shoes, and really pretty ladies who pass us in the store.

And then she whispers the compliment to me.

She didn’t quite have the confidence to tell the pretty lady just how pretty she was.

I whispered back that she could tell her the lady instead of me because she would probably love to hear that.

But she couldn’t do it. Which is okay.

We have to keep practicing to help our kids to give compliments so they intentionally speak with kindness more often. 

Help kids give compliments to others as a way to spread kindness. If we want kids to speak and act with kindness more often, we need to show them how easy it is to give compliments to others.

Why it’s important to teach kids how to give compliments:

We are raising our kids to be kind, compassionate, and empathetic people.

Our goal is to get our kids to speak and act with kindness more often, with less reminders from us. But we have to help them and show them how to spread that kindness to others.

And that includes teaching them how to give compliments.

Compliments are a simple, normal, everyday act of kindness we can encourage our kids to do. Because compliments lift other people up, build their confidence, and boost their self-esteem. 

When we get into a habit of celebrating others, celebrating what we like about them, and recognizing what makes other people special, we make the world a kinder place.

Help kids give compliments to others as a way to spread kindness. If we want kids to speak and act with kindness more often, we need to show them how easy it is to give compliments to others.

How to Encourage Kids to Give Compliments:

1. Model and give them compliments

Give your kids compliments often.

Let them know you like how hard they’re working and how kind they are, and how much you like the way they did their hair.

Compliment their artwork and how good they are at math, and how much you love their new sparkly shoes.

When we model the behavior we want from our kids, eventually, it sinks in.

Related: This could be your kids’ Love Language which makes it even more powerful. Find out here. 

2. When someone compliments you, take it graciously

Speaking of modeling, show them how to take a compliment when someone gives you one.

It can feel awkward to graciously take a compliment when we’re not used to it, but you could say “thank you,” and “that made my day” or “that was so sweet of you.”

Then tell your kids how those compliments made you feel and why you appreciated them. 

Help kids give compliments to others as a way to spread kindness. If we want kids to speak and act with kindness more often, we need to show them how easy it is to give compliments to others.

3. Show them how to give compliments

We can intentionally teach our kids how to give compliments.

We can ask them what they like about someone else to help them brainstorm.

We can give compliments based on:

  • something they’re wearing: sparkly shoes, new backpack, fuzzy sweater
  • personality: kind, funny, compassionate
  • the skill they’re good at: math, art, making their bed 
  • physical feature: hair, smile, eyes

4. Make Compliment Suns

Help them give compliments to their friends with this friendship craft.

They will fill up the sun with compliments for their friends.

Use these compliment suns to help kids learn how to give classmates and friends compliments. It's the perfect kindness craft and friendship craft.

5. Write down compliments with this free printable

Encourage your kids to give compliments out loud by first practicing on paper. They can write down their compliments and hand them out as a way to practice giving verbal compliments. 

They can write down why they like people which will feel easier than saying them out loud.

You can download these Compliment Card freebies below.

Help kids give compliments to others as a way to spread kindness. If we want kids to speak and act with kindness more often, we need to show them how easy it is to give compliments to others.

6. When they tell you a compliment about someone else, encourage them to tell the person.

My daughter has so many compliments to give out to others. But she always whispers them to me instead. 

For the past two years, I’ve been telling her that when she has something awesome to tell someone…especially another girl or a woman…to tell them to their face. 

And the constant reminders are working. My neighbor came over the other day and my daughter immediately said in one breath,”I love your sweater. And I like your shoes. And I love your hair.” 

My neighbor thanked her profusely and asked if she could stop by each day to get more compliments because they made her day.

Download the Compliment Cards here. 

 

Help kids give compliments to others as a way to spread kindness. If we want kids to speak and act with kindness more often, we need to show them how easy it is to give compliments to others.

 

Help kids give compliments to others as a way to spread kindness. If we want kids to speak and act with kindness more often, we need to show them how easy it is to give compliments to others.

Help kids give compliments to others as a way to spread kindness. If we want kids to speak and act with kindness more often, we need to show them how easy it is to give compliments to others.


This kindness flower craft is perfect for kids to make for their friends by sharing kind words. This kindness craft is also a great friendship craft. #kindnesscraft #kindnesscrafts #friendshipcraft #friendship #kindnessactivities #kind #coffeeandcarpool

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Welcome to Coffee and Carpool: Raising Kind Kids.

I’m Nicole and am a recovering elementary school teacher, a mom to three super busy kids, and the founder of The Raising Kind Kids Club where we share strategies and resources with busy parents and educators to intentionally focus on kindness, family connection, and bullying prevention.

We have hundreds of paid and free done-for-you resources to make teaching kindness and social emotional learning to kids easy, fun, and hands-on. Email me at nicole@coffeeandcarpool.com if there’s a resource that you wish you had.

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