Encouraging Kids

From the day we pledge Alpha Omicron Pi, we are encouraged to find ways to give back to others. Spring is coming and with that comes spring testing for the children in our communities. A great way to serve this spring can come with encouraging children to do their best and be their best selves! Encouraging children, our future generations, is a wonderful gift to give our communities.

Benefits of encouraging kids

Using the right encouraging words can:

• Improve kids’ self-esteem. People with high self-esteem are found to be happier and mentally healthier, whereas those with low self-esteem tend to be psychologically distressed and perhaps even depressed.
• Increase intrinsic motivation to achieve.
• Enhance perseverance.

Six tips on using words of encouragement for kids effectively

• Praise sincerely and honestly.
• Be specific and descriptive.
• Praise their effort and the process, not ability.
• Avoid controlling or conditional praise.
• Avoid comparison praise.
• Avoid easy-task praise or over-praise.

Source: Parenting for Brain

Let’s look at some ways we can encourage and help motivate children in our own community.

Challenge

• Contact local schools and ask if you can write letters of encouragement and motivation to be shared with classes or individual students for upcoming testing.
• Offer to provide healthy snacks during their testing period.
• Many schools have pep rallies to motivate students during testing. Ask if you can attend and offer encouragement.
• Offer to mentor a particular student that may need extra encouragement and have lunch with them once a week.
• Ask if you can read to a class or help a student individually.

For Alumnae Chapters

Take this entire task of motivation and encouragement to your alumnae chapter meeting and also make it into a sisterhood meeting. Have a fun poster party and have everyone share their excitement and creativity by making posters to encourage children during this testing period. Have everyone bring some poster board and markers or glitter pens and have fun and be creative. Plan for a few people to deliver those to area schools and hang them to motivate these children to do their very best! At the same time, you might want to bring a basket of healthy snacks to the teacher’s lounge to thank these teachers for their hard work! Let your creativity motivate you to do your very best to serve the children in our communities and those that lead them every day!

Sandy Stewart is an alumna of Alpha Chi (Western Kentucky U) and Education Committee Chairman.