Be a Sportscaster

Welcome back. It's John here. You've clicked on Be a Sportscaster. This technique is most effective for delivering praise for younger children, thinking preschool and elementary school aged children. Our next activity is designed for children a little bit older. So if you have an older kid, hop onto that one. For those of you still here, let's begin. When I work with parents that are looking for ways to direct their attention at skills, behaviors, attitudes in their children that they're looking to replicate. It can be quite helpful to think about that key role of a sportscaster. But in the case of you and your child, it's simply commenting on what's happening right in front of you. Imagine sitting at the table with your child as they color. That's a moment to just announce what's happening. "Wow, you are really focusing on coloring there. Look how much attention you are paying." I didn't have to use a lot of superfluous praise. I didn't have to talk for a while. I simply just announced what I saw in front of me. There are so many values you could celebrate or notice with your attention and your children. Bravery, thoughtfulness, kindness. We want to be noticing the things that we care about. At first, this skill might feel, well, some have said hokey, challenging, but that's the case with many new skills that we try to learn. And so for the first time that you try this, be kind to yourself. If you thought you said something a little bit silly or if your kid looks at you a little bit different 'cause it's something you haven't done before, that's okay. So for today, I'd love it if you could take three to five minutes to find a time to be with your child and practice the sportscasting skill. And you're gonna look carefully for those skills, behaviors, and strengths that you wanna see more of. And when you see them, you're simply going to announce them like that sportscaster on TV. For our assignment, we're just gonna do it for a short period of time 'cause it's new and we're learning it. But as your comfort builds, you're gonna find moments all the time with your child to use that attention as an opportunity to make positive praise for good. Remember, your attention has great power, so what you attend to, what you feed will grow. So start small, but who knows what might blossom. Now that you've learned all about being a sportscaster for your young child and the purposeful use of positive praise, we'll teach you how to avoid the command storm that's so easy to get caught up in in daily parenting. That's our next audio lesson. Or if you also have an older child and are curious about how to modify this skill for them, click on this next activity. Always feel free to share this with another parent friend. And thanks for joining us....