A more useful way to praise is to resist the impulse to evaluate and instead to simply describe what you see (or hear or notice with any of your five senses). Instead of, “That’s a beautiful picture!” Try, “I see green lines that are zooming up and down the page. And look how they connect all these red shapes!” Instead of, “Good job!” Try, “I see you picked up all the cars and all the books, and you even picked up the dirty socks! I see bare floor. That was a big job.” Instead of, “Excellent work.” Try, “I see you circled every single picture that begins with the letter B.” Instead of, “Good
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