Appreciate and reward good behaviour

Many children are self-motivated to be well-behaved and co-operative, but many are not. Positive feedback certainly gives children an added motivation boost. It builds self-esteem and encourages children to be more self-motivated like most adults. Parents who use rewards must remember that their goal is to have children who make good decisions. Using positive feedback gets things going in the right direction, then self-motivation takes over. Whenever you reward your child with an incentive, such as a gift, or an allowance, be sure to add a comment that causes your child to think about about doing the right thing.

Use phrases of encouragement like:

To point out strenghts and improvements:
"It looks like you have worked hard at....."
"You have really improved in...."
"Look at the progress you have made in....."

To show importance of hard work:
"Hard work is not always easy, but it's worth it."
"Working hard has good results."
"If you keep working hard, you'll probably get it."

To show trust:
"I know you can do it."
"I like the way you handled it."
"Knowing you, I am sure you'll do fine."